We Meet Again
by Lyrical-Light
Summary: Sequel to Where it all began. It's been two years since Alice's race against Time and saving Underland once more, but now, secrets are starting to come forth and Alice starts to question herself. Her mother isn't the woman that raised her and her father had an affair with an Underlandian. Everything is changing and now Alice needs to uncover her true self before Underland falls.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

 **And here it is, as promised, the sequel of "** _ **Where it all began"**_ **! I hope that everyone will enjoy this story as it progresses and find that the maddest of ideas can have wonderful outcomes! Now, as for the poll, it's still going and will likely keep on going for quite some time, so here are the ratings so far:**

 **Charles/Mirana = 5**

 **Charles/Helen = 1**

 **Charles dead = 1**

 **Disclaimer: Do I look like I own anything? No? Well then let's move on, thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Mirana was sitting at her desk in her room. Her head resting on her hand as she looked at a small locket that she twirled between her fingers. She sighed. She remembered it all like it was yesterday. It had been an accident.

She was drugged during a dinner party and so was he. One thing led to another and well . . . He left Underland, while she had remained here. Nine months passed and she had given birth to a little girl, but Mirana knew if she kept her daughter, Iracebeth would have stopped at nothing until the child was killed.

So she did what any loving mother would do, she gave up her little baby, but not just like that. Underland can be a dangerous place after all . . . no. She took her to the Overland . . . to her father.

It was the only way Mirana knew how to keep her precious daughter out of the clutches of her sister who at the time had started to grow mad with power, completely destroying any reminder o the sweet girl she had once been so many years ago.

Of course the White Queen made sure that the child would be able to find her way back to Underland, but she always knew that her daughter would return to Overland – to London. Although she always wished that the young girl could just stay here in Underland with her.

She has been to Underland twice now and Mirana had asked Absalom once, in a dispread time, if her daughter would ever live in Underland and one day perhaps learn the truth. Of course he never gave her a straight answer, but what else could she expect from someone that lives in Underland?

She only longed to have her daughter at her side and now that Alice had fulfilled the prophecy and raced against Time, perhaps – at long last – she had a chance with her daughter . . . perhaps.

* * *

And in Overland, Alice had just returned from a two month journey and couldn't wait to get back home and enjoy time with her mother and sister. The two Kingsleigh women had returned from sea seven month ago (before Alice left again) – just in time for the birth of Margaret's second son.

Alice longed to return to Underland. She had promised Tarrant on her second visit that she would return and she did. Now though, after Time had asked of her not to return, she wasn't sure if she ever could.

Even so, she couldn't help but feel that something terribly important will happen today. Pushing that felling to the back of her mind, she entered their old mansion, still feeling pride swell in her chest at the memory of her mother buying it back after their last journey.

"Mother, Margaret? I'm home!" Alice announced after closing the door behind her. Two sets of footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs before her mother and sister yelled her name in unison. "Alice!" Both women were more than happy to have the youngest female member of the family with them again.

"So? How was the journey? Were you successful?" "Slow down mother, I can barely understand you." Alice said with a chuckle. "Oh, sorry, I'm just so happy to have you back." Helen said as she hugged her daughter. "Mother, you saw me two months ago." Alice laughed.

"I know, but it was just so strange without you here. I've become so used to the two of us sailing about on the Wonder it was hard to adjust to you not being a door away." Helen said sheepishly. "You didn't have bad dreams again, did you, Sister?" Margret asked with concern visible on her face.

When Alice had returned to London, she had suffered tremendously from the dreaded things. Of course she wasn't about to tell Margaret that they were about her friends in Underland, though. Besides, they'd stopped within a week of her journey. Not that it had been a very long trip, mind you.

"Only a few nights, but they've mostly stopped. I suppose Time can be rather tricky." Alice said slightly sad at the thought of her friends, but still smiling all the same. Helen slightly frowned, worried about the slight sadness in her daughter's eyes, while Margret was happy for her sister. It hardly took long before they fell into their comfortable routine.

* * *

Soon night fell and Margret left for her and Lowell's home, thus leaving Alice alone with their mother, allowing the two of them some quality time to spend together. Alice was walking down the halls of the mansion when she spotted her mother in her father's old office.

Nothing had changed. Everything was left where it was when her father died. Not even the old owners of their home had laid a finger upon the study. Not that they really used the mansion, anyway.

Helen sat at the desk, looking down at a white blanket in her hands. She let out a soft sigh as she was swept away by her thoughts and memories. Alice watched her mother, but couldn't help but stare at the small blanket.

The whiteness of it, reminding her of Underland and the White Queen and Tarrant with his exotic tea parties and all of her other friends . . . she dearly hopes to return again. "Is everything all right, Mother?" Alice asked walking up to the desk.

Helen snapped out of her trance and looked at her daughter with a smile. "Yes, just going through some things." She said, but Alice could tell that there was more to this story. "Was that Margret's?" Alice asked motioning to the blanket.

Helen looked down and once more let out a small sigh. "Actually, it was yours. It used to be your favourite when you were a baby." Helen said with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Then why have I never seen it before?" Alice wondered, taking a seat across from her mother.

"I suppose . . . I didn't want you too." Helen said with another sigh. Alice looked confused at this and a feeling of dread burned within her, "Why not?" Alice asked carefully. "Because it was a constant reminder of your father's betr- . . . it opened old wounds." Helen said fixing her slip of the tongue.

"Why? What did father do? Mother, please. Tell me." Alice said her eyes begging Helen. "Alice . . ." Helen took a deep breath, "I know about Underland." She said not making any direct eye contact as she waited for her daughter's reaction.

"Y-you know . . . How?" Alice asked, wide eyed, "Your father. Charles had returned one day from a journey and told me of all the magnificent things he had found in a place called Underland. Of course I didn't believe him at first, but then . . ."

Helen stopped, trailing off without completing her sentence, "But, what? What happened to make you believe him?" Alice asked, curiosity taking over. "You did." Helen said plainly as though she expected Alice to understand with just those two words.

"What? What do you mean?" Alice asked confused and Helen sighed deeply. Something she seemed to be doing a lot tonight. "A few months after your father told me of Underland, I took Margaret to Imogene because your father and Lord Ascot were discussing a trade plan. I arrived home just as they left and Charles and I put Margaret to bed.

He greeted me goodnight and told me that he'd only be a moment – needing to fetch something in his study . . . but after a few minutes passed and he had not returned, I became worried and came down, looking for him. I was surprised to find the door closed. I couldn't make out what was going on, but he wasn't alone . . .

Through the door, I could hear him talking to someone – a woman. I tried to hear what she was saying, but her voice was too low for me to make out much. I'll never forget your father's conversation with her though . . . he had spoken to her with so much love in his voice . . . it unnerved me.

 **-Flashback-**

Helen could barely hear through the thick oak door, but suddenly Charles' voice reached her ears, "She's . . . she's perfect." 'Who is perfect?' was Helen's first thought as she leaned closer, her hand lingering on the knob of the door, something preventing her from deciding to turn it.

"She is . . ." The female voice said happily, yet Helen could hear sadness as well. "What did you name her?" Charles asked and Helen's breath caught in her throat. 'What? Named, who?' "I didn't name her . . . I didn't what to make this any harder than it already would be."

The woman replied in a voice that Helen strained to hear. What are they talking about? "Would it be all right if . . . I named her?" Charles asked hesitantly and Helen buried herself in the side of the door, trying to figure out what they were talking about. "You are her father . . . it is your right."

Helen thought her heart had stopped. She fell away from the door, staring at the wooden slab in horror. 'Father?' Charles had betrayed her? He had an affair with another? She wasn't sure for how long she stood there unable to move, tears burning her eyes.

True, their marriage had been arranged, but they did their best to make it work. They had started to appreciate the other and soon had fallen in love, but she had never imagined . . . how could he? The dong of a clock shook her back to reality, but the feeling of betrayal lingered still.

Helen wasn't sure why, but she glared at the door and then turned away. As she started walking up the stairs, she stopped, tears blurring her vision and before she realised what she was doing, she turned around and stormed right back to his study, a fierce desire to chew out his mistress burning in her chest.

 **-End of Flashback-**

". . . And with that I rushed over and threw open the door, but she was gone. Charles was alone in the room with naught but you in his arms. He turned to me and said you are his and though he is ashamed of his affair, he does not regret it. I felt betrayed by what he had done, but seeing you, it was hard to remain angered . . . and when I held you for the first time . . ." Helen shook her head.

"I never found out who she was. Charles never spoke of her to me unless I demanded he do so, but even then, he'd never given a name. Deep down, I knew that someday you'd find your way back to Underland and then you'd find your mother and you'd never want to leave.

I wanted to tell you sooner, but it hurt too much. You had become my daughter and I didn't want to lose you. Not after all the pain and heartache . . . This," Helen said slowly, handing Alice the blanket, "Is all evidence I've ever had of your birth mother." Alice took the blanket slowly, looking at the initials in the corner, but for the most part, she couldn't speak.

She was dumbfounded. "Father . . . had an affair . . . with an Underlandian?" Alice asked shocked that most of her life had been a lie, but then again she always did manage to end up in Underland when she needed help in one way or another . . . but then again, at the time of her arrival so did Underland.

The blanket, she realised, had silver engraving near one side and she carefully took it. "M. of Marmoreal," Alice read out loud and immediately thought of the White Queen. White and silver are the royal colours of Marmoreal and the only person she knows of Marmoreal is Mirana . . . whose name happens to start with an "M".

She shook her head clear of that train of thought, reminding herself that the woman is queen for Underland's sake. But . . . then a few memories came racing back . . . of when she was a child . . . of when she became the White Queen's Champion . . . of her race against Time . . .

Alice didn't know whether or not it proved anything, but she suddenly felt used. Mirana hadn't exactly outright demanded of Alice to be her champion, but she was insistent. Not as much as Absalom or Tarrant, but . . .

And the way she had caressed her cheek after Alice's defeat of the Jabberwocky . . . Alice had put it down to Mirana being happy that Alice remembered their time spent together during Alice's first visit – there was much to talk about before the battle after all.

Still . . . now Alice's wasn't so sure . . . had there been more to it? Had that been a sign Alice should have seen? She was aware that the queen had a champion before her – she had asked Tarrant. But . . . when he had said it was some Charles-fellow, she hadn't really thought . . .

Is it possible that . . . that her father had been the White Queen's Champion? Is Mirana her mother? Many thoughts swirled through her mind and she could barely keep up with half them. Even her emotions seemed confused and befuddled. She wasn't sure how to feel.

"Alice?" Suddenly Helen pulled her out of her thoughts and Alice looked at the woman who had raised her – the woman she had believed to be her mother for the last 22 years. "I have to return to Underland. I have to get answers.

I don't know how or even if I'll be able to, but I have to know." Alice said to Helen who looked equally as determined. "I want to go with you." Helen said with a determined gleam in her eyes and Alice was momentarily taken aback. Helen took pity on her stepdaughter and decided to explain.

"Charles and my marriage might have been arranged, but we managed to make it work. I want to see the face of the woman that threatened to break us apart – I want to know if it had all been a game to her." Alice slowly nodded, her determined expression returning once again.

"I'm not so sure that we should go through the rabbit hole . . . both times I did, I ended up either being too small or too tall when finally arriving in Underland. The only other way that I know of though, is through the Looking Glass that used to hang in Lord Ascot's Study . . . we'll have to buy it from Hamish, I suppose, but . . . I'm not sure if it will work."

"Well, it seems that we'll just have to buy it from them and find out." Helen said with confidence, but her smile was slightly strained, making it clear that she wasn't any surer about this than Alice is.

* * *

The easy part of their plan was coming up with an excuse for their 'trip over land'. Alice and Helen had greeted Margaret early-ish, going under the guise of preparing for an adventure through England and Wales.

The hard part was getting to the Looking Glass that would or would not, take them to Underland. Apparently, Hamish had sold most of his father's possessions to be able to remain in business after Kingsleigh and Kingsleigh nearly destroyed his company the previous year.

But fortunately he had given the Looking Glass to his mother . . . and unfortunately, the dreaded old woman had put up quite a fight over it . . . eventually though, they were able to claim it and return it to the Kingsleigh Mansion. Now, they just had to pray that this works.

"So you just walk right through?" Helen asked a little nervously as she stared at the glass reflecting their silhouettes. The Looking Glass is as tall as Alice and twice as wide – exactly as she remembers it. For once, she was thankful to have her long hair again. No doubt she'd receive odd looks from her Underlandian friends if she showed up looking like a boy, yet claiming to be The Alice.

"Well, yes, but you need to keep in mind where you want to end up. The first time I did this, I just thought of Underland and fell from the sky, but when I focused on a specific place where I wished to be, like Lord Ascot's Study, I ended up there." Alice said, looking at her moth- stepmother's reflection.

Helen looked a little faint. "Oh, is that all?" "Pretty much," Alice answered half-heartedly. Helen stared blankly at Alice's reflection for a moment, silently telling her that she isn't amused. Alice just smiled. "So . . . should I see if it works?"

* * *

 **A-a-a-a-and, that's it for this chapter. I hope I left you hungry enough for more, to leave a review. I love those, they just raise your spirit up. Anyway, remember to vote, review, favorite, follow, whatever you want!**

 **Until next time –**

 **Lyrical-Light**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

 **Awe, I have a review, favorites and follows – thank you! You are all amazing. I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter. Poll:**

 **Charles/Mirana = 5**

 **Charles/Helen = 1**

 **Charles dead = 1**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

}-{

 _Helen looked a little faint. "Oh, is that all?" "Pretty much," Alice answered half-heartedly. Helen stared blankly at Alice's reflection for a moment, silently telling her that she isn't amused. Alice just smiled. "So . . . should I see if it works?"_

}-{

Alice didn't know what was more surprising. The fact that her hand went through the glass with ease, the fact that both she had Helen were able to pass through the Looking Glass, or the fact that this time the journey was much smoother and they quickly arrived at their planned destination . . . Marmoreal.

They hadn't fallen from the sky or tumbled down a rabbit hole; they just stepped through the glass and came out the other side within one of the many rooms of Marmoreal Castle. Maybe it is the fact that she was not summoned to Underland, or that her home-away-from-home wasn't in danger, but she wasn't about to complain.

It took a while for them to find their bearings – there are many twists and turns within the castle – and they did end up outside more than once. Alice wondered if they had done a bit of reconstruction or if she had just missed many of the corridors during her previous visits, because she was completely lost within moments.

Although Helen was a stranger to this world, she hardly seemed bothered by it – Charles' stories had prepared her for most of it, after all, though even she found the castle to be a labyrinth - a beautiful, fairytale-book worthy labyrinth, but still a labyrinth.

But the older Kingsleigh's thirst for adventure was strong enough to suppress any comment about the maze they found themselves in. Instead, she found herself transfixed by the beauty of it all. Finally, Alice spotted the side-entrance to the grand courtyard – one she herself had taken during one of her visits.

They had just made it out of the passage when they were greeted by the White Rabbit himself. "Oh Alice, you're back!" He cheered, running up to the girl in question and jumping up to give her one of the largest hugs she has received in a long time. He silently hoped that the queen's entourage wasn't watching.

He'd never hear the end of it. Alice laughed, "Hello McTwisp." The rabbit let go and suddenly noticed the other woman accompanying the White Queen's Champion. Immediately, he began nervously twiddling with his paws. "Oh, McTwisp, this is my mother, Helen Kingsleigh."

Until she discovers the full truth, Helen will remain the woman she's always been to her, Alice decided as the elder Kingsleigh woman shook the White Rabbit's paw in greeting and he seemed to calm down a bit after she complimented him on his choice of attire. In fact, he seemed to have puffed up a bit with pride.

"You don't happen to know where the White Queen is, do you?" Alice interjected, determined not to become side-tracked. He looked confused, but answered nonetheless, wanting to be as helpful as possible. "I believe she would be in the garden at the moment, why?"

"We need to talk to her, it's rather important." Alice said gently, but even so, McTwisp immediately looked worried. "Well then we mustn't terry, her majesty might be leaving already!" He swiftly started hopping ahead of them, glancing nervously at his pocket watch every few seconds.

Helen and Alice followed behind him calmly from a close distance, keeping him in their sights. It certainly wouldn't do to get lost again. "Why are we going to see the queen?" Helen whispered curiously to her stepdaughter, keeping her voice low enough so that McTwisp will not overhear.

"She's the only one – that, I am aware of – with the same initials as those on the blanket and though I don't know for sure, I have a feeling that she might be able to give us a few answers, if not all of them." Alice whispered back, making sure not to lose sight of the White Rabbit.

Helen only looked mildly surprised. "He did seem rather enamored with such a person when he spoke of Underland. Though, I suppose that it would make sense. He often muttered something about queens in his sleep."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the gardens – which is still as beautiful as Alice remembers, if not more so. They found the White Queen roaming about the paths, seemingly unaware of everything around her but the roses she was inspecting. She did so carefully, whispering under her breath and caressing their leaves with a gentle touch of her fingers.

To some it might be an eerie sight, but Alice found it almost entrancing, as though it were something sacred that few were granted the chance to witness. She wasn't certain whether it was fortunate or not, when she was snapped out of her trance, "Majesty, Alice is back!"

Nivens shouted with excitement, causing the White Queen to cut her hand on the thorns of a rose, startled. She either didn't notice or didn't overly care, as all she did was glance around, looking for the source of her start. When her eyes found McTwisp a warm smile slowly spread across her lips.

She looked up to see Alice and seemed to smile even brighter before seeing Helen and the expressions on the faces of the two Kingsleigh women. Momentarily, her smile faltered, as though a heavy weight had just been pushed down upon her shoulders and she tried to remain positive, but it was painful to do so.

Many emotions played over in her eyes that Alice couldn't see long enough to name, but eventually she smiled brightly again, standing from her crouched position, her injured hand held lightly in front of her. "Thank you for bringing them to me, Nivens. Please, prepare my private table, it seems that Mrs. Kingsleigh, Alice and I have a few things to discuss."

The Rabbit nodded, hurrying off to do as instructed, but paused before he had gotten far and glanced back tentatively. "Shall I get a bandage for that?" He asked, pointing to her hand. She seemed confused and glanced down at her hand, her eyes widening in realization, "Oh . . . yes, if you please."

He nodded and hurriedly hopped off. Before either woman could inquire to the queen's seemingly absentmindedness, Mirana glided over to them with a bright smile. "I will escort you. Marmoreal has been a bit of a maze lately with the repairs still going on.

Though personally, I think our Building Master was just looking for an excuse to make additional improvements to the castle. I have found myself completely lost, at least twice this month." She spoke with fond exasperation, motioning absently up at the castle.

Alice and Helen followed, easily keeping pace with her. Alice felt a slight twinge of hurt at how freely Mirana spoke to them – as though they've been friends for a life time. She might even have forgotten why she had taken the journey here to begin with had it not been for her request to Nivens.

"How did you know that we came to talk to you?" Helen asked, walking close to Alice while silently making an examination of the woman, realizing that she seems beautiful – and powerful – enough to make near any man warm her bed, if she so pleased. The observation left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

"I was forewarned that something of the sort might soon occur." She said simply, momentarily pausing in her walking to gaze at her injured hand with a furrowed brow. "Then I presume that you know what we have come to talk about?" Alice asked slowly, studying the woman that might or might not be her mother.

Mirana did not answer, merely flexed the fingers of her injured hand, glancing at it with a pondering gaze before seeming to register that she had been spoken to and mulled over the words for a bit before motioning to the castle again. "Let us speak inside."

* * *

The White Queen led them to her private parlor – the table of which has been prepared for a long discussion. She paused in the centre of the room, explaining that it too had been renovated, as she looked around for something, and seemed a bit frustrated at not being able to find it.

Alice only realized that she'd been searching for her medical supplies when McTwisp entered the room with bandages, telling her to look in the first drawer of the cabinet by the window. As the queen attended to her hand Alice and Helen took the opportunity to look around.

The window that the queen had been pointed to, takes up half of the wall, overlooking most of the exterior of the castle. The room itself, also seems to be divided in three open parts – the parlor, a miniature library with an alchemy table and finally a study with a table that was pilled to the brim with parchment.

A round table rested in the centre of the parlor. Beautifully decorated, and peppered with all sorts of treats and food assortments. Alice absentmindedly noticed the tea sat and thought of her dear friend, the Mad Hatter. What would he make of the predicament that she now finds herself in?

At last, when they were all done with their individual self-appointed tasks, they gathered at the table in the parlor side of the room that was bigger than the lounge in the Kingsleigh Family House. Alice and Helen sat across from Mirana . . . at least as much "across" as they could get at a round table.

"Where would you like to begin?" Mirana asked looking at the two Kingsleigh women. Helen opened her mouth to reply, but Alice was faster, and feeling particularly bold and a little angered in that moment; "What about the part where you tell us whether or not it was you that had an affair with my father."

Helen gave Alice a shocked look. Even Alice was surprised by her own nerve, but she didn't back down, she wanted answers. The White Queen flinched – and noticeably at that – when the affair was mentioned. For a moment, Alice froze, not believing what she was seeing. Mirana took a deep breath.

"Yes, I am the one who had an affair with Charles. He was the Champion before you, I invited him to a dinner party with Iracebeth and I to celebrate the defeat of a sorcerer that had been terrorizing Witzend, Ilosovic slipped something into the wine and I woke up the next morning to find myself dreadfully underdressed with Charles' clothing upon my floor.

I doubt that you require a detailed description of the affair itself. Next question," She had spoken quickly, near absentmindedly and when she was finished used a dismissing tone while sitting stiff and preoccupied with making herself a cup of tea – all signs that she was uncomfortable with the chosen subject.

It took the two woman of London a moment to gather their wits again. The queen had surrendered to the answering far quicker than they had thought. She'd also been – and there is no better description – brutally honest. It took them by surprise. Helen recovered faster than Alice. "How did you realize what happened?"

At this question, Mirana stopped as though her body had frozen, her head rising to meet the gaze of Charles' wife. "Underland's magic revealed it to us when I went to speak to Charles to see if he had any memory of the previous night." She said after a while, speaking slowly as though half afraid to utter the words.

"And what did you do when you realized you had an affair with a married man from the above world?" Alice asked, her tone slightly accusing as the truth hit her with the power of the Jabberwocky's tail. The spoon that the Queen had picked up fell to the floor with a loud clatter and Mirana's mouth was open in shock, "I . . ."

* * *

 **That's that for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Until next time –**

 **Lyrical-Light**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

 **Oh, thank, you guys so much! I love my favorites, follows, PM's and reviews! You guys made my day! So, as a special treat, here's the next chapter – earlier than planned – just for you!**

 **Poll:**

 **Charles/Mirana = 7**

 **Charles/Helen = 1**

 **Charles dead = 2**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

}-{

" _And what did you do when you realized you had an affair with a married man from the above world?" Alice asked, her tone slightly accusing as the truth hit her with the power of the Jabberwocky's tail. The spoon that the Queen had picked up fell to the floor with a loud clatter and Mirana's mouth was open in shock, "I . . ."_

}-{

"Alice!" Helen scolded shocked, though she could not deny that she too, was curious. To the girl's credit, she did look a little apologetic, as though acknowledging that the question had been quite a bit brutal so early into the confrontation. Still, she didn't back down and fully awaited an answer from the stunned queen.

It took a while, but the White Queen seemed to have slowly recovered and regained her ability to speak. "I . . . well . . ." She fidgeted slightly in her seat. "It was decided-" She cut herself off as she slowly flicked her wrist and the spoon that she had dropped started to rise into the air.

Alice and Helen were momentarily transfixed by the spectacle, but Alice quickly shook it off, putting it down to Mirana trying to distract them and in such a way, prevent the question from being answered. Admittedly, that was clever, but Alice wasn't going to have any of that.

"It was decided?" Alice quoted looking expectantly at the queen who took the spoon out of the air and set it down on the table, the magic that had previously surrounded it, falling away. There was a pause, before after long last, it seemed that the queen had finally found the right words.

She straightened in her seat, looking Alice directly in the eye. "It was decided that we would continue on as usual. Neither of us had intended for anything to start – let alone something to such a degree – between us . . . But it had, and though we couldn't just ignore that, a decision had to be made.

And so, it was decided that he would return to his family in Overland after a formal fairfarren to all our friends, and I would stay in Underland and continue my duties as the White Queen." "So in other words, you get away scot free without anyone ever finding out and without suffering any repercussions."

Alice spoke, her eyes narrowing as her mind took into account every word and she suddenly felt a flash of anger that she was unable to suppress. She wanted to give her – (friend? mother? whatever!) – A chance to explain herself, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

The thought of her father and stepmother drifting apart after an affair her father hadn't wanted had angered her, but to think that Mirana was able to walk away without any repercussions? To think that someone she had looked to as a friend and admired for her devotion not to harm others, had – in no better words – betrayed her?

It filled her with a fury she'd not felt in a long time. Her father had been happily married and because of the affair, that marriage had suffered. And what had happened to the White Queen? Nothing! She was able to hide behind her precious palace walls without a care in the world, completely unaffected by her own actions.

Helen did not even attempt to scold her stepdaughter for her second outburst as she originally would have done in any other situation. But as much as she loathes admitting it, this had always been one of the things that had bothered her very much over these many years.

When she and Charles had started growing distant, she'd merely thought that he'd just . . . well, that he was just preoccupied with running the company. But when Alice showed up . . . That's another thing that she had wondered about. How had Charles' mistress known Alice is his?

Helen had been certain that this mistress of his had many men warm her bed on cold nights and Charles had just been unfortunate enough to fall into her web, but . . . now . . . "Scot free? No, Alice, I didn't." The words were whispered, but they were enough to stop both Kingsleigh women in their tracks.

They stared at the queen and Mirana's eyes were averted, her tea left untouched and Time seemed to start to slow down as her words slowly sank in and became clearer to their misty minds. Alice was left speechless, not knowing what to think, but Helen was the one to start thinking up ideas this time:

A pregnancy would not be easy to hide . . . Especially not for royalty . . . There would no doubt be questions asked from many people, friends and subjects alike . . . And if the queen had not been in a marriage at the time people would immediately assume that she had welcomed a suitor out of wedlock . . .

And though Helen was unsure of the customs of Underland and the exact rules and laws around marriage and children, she can easily imagine that there would still be similar reactions to the people of Underland than there would have been to a young unwed lady with child, in London . . .

Neither woman had to ponder long on the possibilities of the queen's words as she continued speaking, her gaze firmly fixed on something outside the window, but it didn't take either Kingsleigh a lot of energy to note that she wasn't really looking at anything outside the castle.

They doubted that she was really seeing anything happening outside the window at all. Her mind was running miles in mere minutes, emotions flashing through her eyes as she once more bared witness to the happenings of her past . . . the memories that eventually lead to their current situation.

"I'm not quite certain what it is that you understand of the term Soul-Bound, but I believe that Charles once stated that you have something quite similar to it in Overland . . . Soul-Bound or, "soul-mates" in your world, is something of far greater importance here in Underland than in Overland . . ."

She began softly, her gaze not shifting during her speech and she seemed to half fall completely back into a lake of memories. "If one is Soul-Bound, it is not just your heart that you share with your partner, but your very being – your soul itself – that you share with your significant other . . .

Once a soul-bond is formed, there is no changing it unless Fate chooses to . . . Your soul is bound to that of your partner for the rest of eternity . . . The bond cannot be broken and once it is formed neither person wishes to romantically love any other than their Soul-Bound . . .

Those few Underlandians fortunate enough to find their Soul-Bound early in life and not fight the binding magic woven into the bond, are happily married for the rest of their lives because of the binding . . . Underland's magic ensures it . . . They hardly ever know heartache if Fate is merciful . . .

But because the Royal Family is so closely connected to Underland – because we share the same magic – a soul-bond within the Royal Family is more powerful than any other . . . It is one of the reasons that Iracebeth never had any children . . . Once a blood member of the Royal Family finds their Soul-Bound, they can never be with any other – in any sense . . .

A soul-bond's magic – for lack of a better word – forces, those bound by its magic to only ever be completely loyal to the other and their family . . . Only together can they have children, once the bond is made, and it is only with each other that they can ever be truly happy with . . . Iracebeth was bound to Henry, but out of fear that he would betray her, she had taken his life . . .

It was irrational of my sister, she knows the bond cannot be broken and yet she had still done it . . . Soon after, Ilosovic had charmed her, but he certainly hadn't held her heart . . . When Henry died she was left without her chance at happiness, barren and with a broken heart . . .

That is why she had started aging so swiftly after I so cruelly banished her to the Outlands, in my anger I'd nearly killed my own sister . . ." She closed her eyes, her hands clenching in her lap. "It had taken time for the bond's magic to take effect on her, because Underland kept it from taking hold . . . But in the Outlands . . . in the Outlands, Underland's magic is weak . . .

Time managed to forestall the spell from fully taking hold of her – he'd saved her life." Mirana paused, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. She'd nearly killed her sister. The thought chilled her to the bone, but at the same time, it made her sick to the stomach. "The soul-bond . . . that is why _I_ had never married . . . I couldn't . . ."

She clenched her hands tighter, her nails digging into either her skin or the bandage around her hand as her sister's warn appearance mockingly danced before her, but soon it was replaced with the markings she had so ruthlessly left across Charles' back, "Not after that night . . ." She trailed off, trying to ease her racing heart, but she had little success, for her crimes are unforgivable.

But even so, realization dawned on Helen in that moment and she uttered the words that she realized deep down, she had hoped to, but never thought she would. "You and Charles were Soul-Bound . . ." She breathed, and felt as though the world suddenly became frozen in place as the full weight of her words dawned on her.

Charles had become distant because of the magic in the bond . . . that is why his love changed . . . because both his heart and _soul_ had been gifted to another . . . A woman that had been forced into the bond as much as he was. Alice became wide eyed at her stepmother's words.

Mirana nodded mutely, her heart suddenly aching for its other half, doubly so, as she again realized once more that they could never be together . . . and then she felt shame. Terrible shame. His wife was right here in front of her, and yet she longed for him – a man she can never have.

A man, that in every sense, Mirana didn't and never would, deserve. "That is how you knew Alice was his . . ." Helen continued and Mirana laughed half-heartedly, turning back to the Kingsleigh women with a half smile on her face, her eyes now open again, the memories slowly fading away as she pushed them to the back of her mind.

She had wondered enough for one day. "I've never been with another, despite all the suitors the council has attempted to near since the defeat of the Jabberwocky. My daughter could only belong to my Soul-Bound." It was the first time that she had spoken those words out loud in years and the first time that she had done so in front of Alice since the girl was but a baby.

A heavy silence followed her words, but this time, she did not turn away. She gazed directly at her companions, eyes clear and unclouded by memories of times passed. She had to look, for Alice will have questions, but more than that, Mirana needed to know what her champion – what her daughter – felt after finally learning the truth.

* * *

 **I was tempted to write more, but I didn't know what, so I left it here. Sorry. Hopefully the next chapter will be more exciting.**

 **Until next time –**

 **Lyrical-Light**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**

 **Hello, ladies and gents! I apologize for the long wait. I have no excuse.**

 **As for the Poll:**

 **Charles & Mirana = 7**

 **Charles & Helen = 2**

 **Charles dead = 2**

 **You all better hurry up and vote as well, because I think that I'll be closing off the voting soon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

}-{

 _A heavy silence followed her words, but this time, she did not turn away. She gazed directly at her companions, eyes clear and unclouded by memories of times passed. She had to look, for Alice will have questions, but more than that, Mirana needed to know what her champion – what her daughter – felt after finally learning the truth._

}-{

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but no sound escaped her lips. She was stunned. It was the first time she heard the White Queen acknowledge her as her daughter. It felt a bit overwhelming, to say the least. Before anything else could be said, Nivens rushed into the room, nervous as ever.

"My sincerest apologies your Highness, but uh, she-she wouldn't take no for an answer." He stuttered out nervously and before anyone could ask who 'she' is, their question was answered before they even saw the woman entering the doorway. Her voice had done all the work for her.

"Sister, you won't believe what Tick-Toc gave me!" And there she was, heart shaped fiery red hair with no sign of the silver streaks Alice remembers from her last visit, large head standing out as her most striking feature and lips painted in her signature red heart. She'd also gotten taller.

Iracebeth came into the room before stopping when her eyes landed on Mirana's company. "Alice . . ." She whispered, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What, awe you doing here?" Her tone wasn't rude or accusing as it might have been on the times Alice had seen her before, but she seemed cautious . . . and curious.

"I invited them." Mirana said gently, knowing that her sister might take the news better if it wasn't dropped on her like one of Thackery's scones. "Invited? Why, siste' thank you for appreciating my company so much," Iracebeth said with an eye roll, turning around to leave. Mirana was quick to get to her feet.

"Racie, I promise you, it wasn't anything of the sort. As a matter of fact, why don't you join us?" The Red Queen was silent for a moment, looking between Alice and Mirana. "Do you have strawberry tarts?" She eventually asked and Mirana nodded, smiling sadly.

She hadn't seen her sister in a while – always so busy helping Time, as much as he was helping her. The realization that came when she found out just how drastic her choice to banish her sister had been, weighed heavily on her heart. And now being reminded of it . . .

Again, she was silent for a moment. "And chamomile," Mirana added, walking slowly back over to the table. Slowly, the Red Queen nodding, seemingly to be won over by her sister's words. "All right . . ." She agreed, following after to sit with them. It was in that moment that another revelation hit Alice full force.

Iracebeth, Red Queen, "Bloody Big Head", sister of the White Queen and – former – tyrant . . . is her aunt. And she's attempted to have Alice's head on more than one occasion. She wondered if this is what a typical Underlandian family is like, or if it's only this one.

A mother who'd lied to her and sent her away after she was born because of having a affair with her father – who is a married man – and an aunt that would like nothing more than to see her demise. Oh yes, she _really_ wants to be part of _this_ messed up family. "Racie, this is Helen Kingsleigh, Alice's . . . mother."

Speaking those words felt like a physical blow. She couldn't help but suddenly be very tense and stiff. She had known that Alice might not be willing to listen to anything she had to say, even if she is her birth mother, but still . . . Helen has more right to that honorific than Mirana ever did . . . or will.

The thought was terrible enough to cause her stomach to turn and her heart to flare with a burning pain, but she pushed it aside. It had been her choice to send her daughter away. It is her fault that she couldn't be there as her little Alice grew up. She forfeited being Alice's mother the night she left Charles' study.

She had been greatly blessed to even _see_ her child again, let alone be able to guide her as a child and help her find her way again – twice – as a young woman. She was blessed to have had Alice's friendship. She can only hope that one day, she can earn Alice's trust.

She's well aware though, that to do so will be difficult and will likely take far longer than she will be comfortable with, but this is something she will have to do as much as Alice had to slay the Jabberwocky. Of course, if she succeeds, the relationship they will have then, will be strained at best.

To have someone break your trust is a heavy blow and though time can heal most wounds, scars still remain and so will the memory. Although, in a way, Mirana supposes, it is probably best this way. At least in this way, she can earnestly attempt to ear her daughter's trust as she should have done to begin with.

And of course, this will give her the opportunity to learn more about Alice and her ideals and personality – though she believes that she already has a fair grasp of what the second could be like. On the other hand, she also feels truly pained. What would things be like had she told Alice the truth when she had helped her as a child?

Would things have been better? Though the White Queen struggled to hide her discomfort, she knew that she shouldn't complain. She may have no right to call herself a mother, but Alice is still her daughter and that will never change. Mirana swallowed to clear her tight throat and turned back to Helen.

"Mrs Kingsleigh, this is my sister, Iracebeth of Crims." Her tone was a bit more formal, but still calm even though it was not quite as relaxed as it had been a moment before. If her sister noticed, she didn't say anything. "Kingsleigh, you say?" Iracebeth asked thoughtfully, tapping the table edge, her eyes narrowed in thought.

"Wasn't there a man that had that name, Miwana? Tallish, walked 'round with your wittle Vorpal Sword, blue eyes?" The Red Queen asked absently, having taken up a cup of tea while pondering. "Brown eyes," Mirana corrected without really thinking about it.

Alice's eyes widened upon hearing that her father had wielded the Vorpal blade. "Whatever. His name was Charlie- or something, wight?" Iracebeth asked. "Charles," Mirana nodded, going back to her own tea. Iracebeth nodded back impatiently. "Yes, yes, Charles."

"To be honest, when he won back the Vo-pal Sword fwom Thanatos – which by the way, _you_ lost – after the battle I had hoped he would stab you with it." She added absentmindedly and Mirana gave her sister a sideways glance, frowning deeply. "I did not _lose_ it, Thanatos stole it and I have no doubt that you wished he would kill me."

Helen raised an eyebrow at the display, whispering to Alice as she watched the scene unfold before her. "Are they always like this?" "I'm not sure, this is the first time that I've actually seen the Red Queen being even semi-civil to her sister." Alice whispered back, the Red Queen's words sinking in.

Alice was reminded once again that Iracebeth didn't just want Alice's head, but Mirana's as well. Hopefully, things have changed. Alice quite likes her head where it is and even though she and the White Queen are not on the best of terms at the moment, death does sound a bit extreme.

"I said stab, little siste', not kill." Iracebeth said with a slight hint of a grimace on her face. For a moment Alice actually wondered if Iracebeth wasn't perhaps being rehabilitated, because that had to be one of the nicest things she's heard the Red Queen say to her sister.

"Are those the same orders that you gave to Stayne?" The words had slipped passed her lips before she could stop them and she immediately wished she could take them back. As far as she and Iracebeth have come in restoring the relationship they had once had as young girls; there were a few things that both have never dared mention.

Things – for Iracebeth – that made her feel beyond terrible for not realizing how wrong it had been to say or do and things – for Mirana – that were just too painful or traumatic for her to remember. Iracebeth was trying to make amends, while trying to not become consumed again; this time, by guilt and regret.

Mirana didn't want to be reminded of how weak and broken she truly is. It would only bring back her insecurities and doubts about being a worthy queen and honestly, she very much doubts that the Underlandians would appreciate another breakdown from her.

After all, her last breakdown had led to Marmoreal's defenses shattering and Underland falling into turmoil for a little over seventeen years. And that had been _so much_ fun – if her thoughts had been animate, they would have been overflowing with sarcasm in that moment.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Mirana said with downcast eyes, regret etched onto her features. Iracebeth stared at her for a moment, apparently looking for something. Mirana struggled to keep her gaze, shifting uncomfortably under the scrutinizing of her older sister.

The last time that her sister had _really_ used that gaze, she'd still been very bitter ad was plotting against Mirana. The very same day that she had been on the receiving end of that gaze, Mirana had found out she was with child. Sometimes, her sister's gaze seemed soul-piercing.

After a moment, Iracebeth nodded as though having found whatever it was she had been searching for. It made the White Queen a bit nervous. Who knows what secrets her sister might have just unearthed? "We'll be talking about this later, Miwana. So what were you all snickering 'bout?" Iracebeth asked; her expression neutral.

It was almost unreal how her sister could be so intuitive and serious one moment and then back to her – apparent – normal self, the next. Sometimes Mirana wasn't sure how to react when things like this happen. In a way, it felt surreal, watching her sister's persona change so suddenly.

Iracebeth's words returned them all to the conversation at hand, though. Alice was able to quickly recover – used to seeing odd things by now – and Helen blinked slowly, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened. "Charles is Alice's father." Mirana said, remembering that it had been there that they left off.

Iracebeth blinked, surprised. She turned to Alice and studied her for a moment. Alice stared right back, arms crossed. Iracebeth actually smiled slightly at the sight, remembering the little girl that had painted her roses red; "Now _that_ , I believe without a doubt." She said, returning her focus to enjoying her tarts and tea.

"We should enjoy the day while we can, I trust you two will be staying for a while?" Mirana asked, turning to look at the Kingsleigh women. "That is the plan." Helen smiled uncertainly. "As long as there isn't anything _else_ , I should know about, I think I would like to spend my day catching up with my _friends_ , if you don't mind your highness."

Alice's tone was accusing and her words made Mirana inwardly flinch. Outwardly, only her eyes betrayed the harm Alice's words had done. "Of course, Nivens shall escort you to Tarrant's workshop and he will take you the rest of the way." As if on cue, the White Rabbit came around to Alice.

For a moment, she was surprised that he got here so fast, the she realized that he likely never left after bringing in the Red Queen. Alice left with him, leaving the two queens and Helen alone at the table. Iracebeth and Helen eyed each other, each wondering if they should speak while the other was present.

Mirana sighed, bringing one hand to her forehead and used the other to bring the teacup to her lips. Heavens help her when these two finally _do_ decide to speak with her. And may Underland help her if Alice continues to push her away, because Mirana was already tired of crying.

The last thing that she needs right now is reason to shed more tears. She sipped her tea quietly, despite the tension she could feel in the air between her sister and Charles' wife. Whatever their decisions on how to proceed with conversation, it will come from them, not her. She's too tired to play savior of teatime.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Until we meet again, Fairfarren.**

 **~ Lyrical-Light**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello everyone, long time no see. So the voting has closed, and it would seem that Mirana and Charles' relationship won't be staying in the past. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please favourite, follow or review.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the Alice books/films.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

}-{

 _The last thing that she needs right now is reason to shed more tears. She sipped her tea quietly, despite the tension she could feel in the air between her sister and Charles' wife. Whatever their decisions on how to proceed with conversation, it will come from them, not her. She's too tired to play saviour of teatime._

}-{

Alice sighed as she wandered the halls of Marmoreal later that night. It was good seeing Tarrant and the others again, she'd missed them dearly, but she wished that Nivens had not mentioned that she'd spoken with Mirana. Had he not, perhaps she would have been spared the worried looks and tense atmosphere.

Her friends had pestered her with questions, hoping to find out what had been so important that she would need to speak with the White Queen immediately upon arrival. What could be so important that she'd aimlessly wondered the halls for over an hour and then reappear again after the discussion in a foul mood?

She'd eventually told them off for being too nosey and they seemed to understand at some point that she wasn't keen on telling them what it was she had needed to speak to the queen about.

Tarrant had pulled her aside however and asked if everything was all right…

In truth, nothing was all right.

Her entire world had turned on its head. She isn't who she thought she was. Her father isn't the man she had believed he was. The woman who raised her isn't even her mother! It was as though her life was coming apart at the seams and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

In truth, she is afraid.

She's lost and confused. Her father has always been the one person she looked up to. The one person she could relate with. Now she finds out that he'd betrayed his wife and had an affair with the Queen of Underland which resulted in a soul-binding that tore him away from his family.

Her father suddenly became someone she didn't recognize and it scared her so much that she pinned the fault on the White Queen just so that she could hold on to his memory; to the way _she_ remembers him. Alice sighed again, running a hand through her pale blonde hair.

She'd been overly harsh during their conversation. Mirana was her friend before all of this started and Alice should have given her a chance to explain her side of the story. Instead, Alice had reacted heartlessly and refused to look at things from any other perspective aside from the one that cast her father in a good light.

No one is without fault and even her father is not immune to this rule. It was a bitter truth, but knowing and accepting it are two very different things. How can she find fault in a dead-man whom she had idolized in life? She allowed her feet to wander about on their own accord, not knowing nor truly caring where they were taking her.

In all honesty, it really shouldn't have come as such a surprise then that she found herself walking in the direction of the Queen's parlour. Alice came to a stop right outside the door, hesitant to go forward. She was unsure whether or not she should just turn back.

In the end she walked past, her feet carrying her to another familiar location. She slowly knocked on the door, wondering if coming here would ease her mind. It didn't take long for the door to open and reveal purple and white striped pyjamas, a fiery red mane and big green eyes.

"Alice! What a surprise, oh! Do come in, come in!"

She smiled in thanks and allowed Tarrant to herd her inside his workshop, many bits and ends scattered all around. The size of the room is much larger than the one he'd been given in Salazen Grum, but for some reason she still expected to see a chain around his leg.

When she didn't see one she was relieved, but also curious. The White Queen may not be as cruel as the Red Queen, but they are sisters nonetheless. If one is capable of murder and harsh punishment what are the chances that the other is capable of it as well?

Mirana had already confessed to bedding a married man, sending away her daughter and nearly killing her own sister. Clearly then, she isn't above harming others despite her vow. If not, then surely there was something darker that she was trying to hide behind her pacifistic mask?

"Is there something troubling you, Alice?" The Hatter asked, immediately noticing his friend's silence. Alice sighed, sitting down on one of the nearby chairs that had been pushed against the wall to make more room. She sat for a moment, wondering how she should proceed.

"Hatter, do you know the nature of the relationship between the queen and her former champion?" Tarrant's brow furrowed a bit as he sat down across from her. "Well, I don't know much about ol' Charles, but he was a good man. Good taste in hats too.

If I'm not mistaken he and Mirana were close friends; much like you and I, really. She'd chosen him as her champion after he'd gone on a quest to find an antidote when she was poisoned by that old sorcerer." Hatter paused for a moment, frowning.

"You know, I'm still befuddled by the event. Usually the White Queen is much more careful."

Before Alice could ask what he meant, the Hatter shook his head and continued on. "Ol' Charlie didn't stay long, however. Much like you, he was a bit hurried to get back to Overland, but he'd stopped to have some fun with us all too!

The queen threw a fairfarren feast for him. Wonderful party, that was!" Alice frowned a bit. This wasn't exactly what she wanted to know. "Did the queen seem … attracted, to him?" She asked slowly and Hatter frowned, looking at her with piercing green eyes.

"Why would ye want to know that, Lass?"

His sudden low voice and accent surprised her a bit, but she quickly shook it off because he doesn't seem angry, just cautious. "Please just tell me." She asked, her eyes imploring him to continue. "Well … her majesty has never allowed herself to grow smitten with anyone … much less a married man."

"But she slept with him."

Again, her tone was a little accusing and she felt a bit guilty, but refused to back down. Hatter's eyes widened before narrowing. He leaned foreward, staring her right in the eye and Alice fought hard not to flinch at his soul-piercing gaze. "Where'd ye hear that from?"

"She admitted to it."

Alice said slowly, shifting under his gaze. "And did she say why she did it?" Alice shifted again, trying to recall what the queen had said, "Stayne did something to her wine?" "Aye, but the ol' knave didn't just do it ta her. Everyone got drugged that night, save the Red Queen, so they could try ta steal the Vorpal Sword.

Twas a distraction; the party. Bloody knave wanted the queen for himself, but the Bloody Big Head spoiled his plans 'cause she wanted the crown. Me cousin an' I caught 'em sneaking 'bout and sent 'em on their way, but we didn't know 'bout the wine till the next mornin' when the queen ordered all o' it ta be tested.

Truth be told, me thinks the queen took her vow 'cause of Charles. 'parently she'd scratched up his back worse than Chess did ta some of the Red Guards tha' got funny ideas. It had been terribly upsetting ta her." Alice's eyes widened at the Hatter's words. She hadn't known that.

Everyone was drugged? Stayne wanted Mirana, but Iracebeth stopped him? The queen was the one that scarred her father? But he said it was a tiger from India… "Did everyone know?" Alice asked a bit hurt. If they'd known about the affair then Mirana didn't have any reason to give her up.

"Nay. Only Chess, me and one o' the queen's friends, Egrayn… Twas a month after Charles left that the queen suddenly 'came ill. She recovered quickly enough and went ta the orphanage in Witzend fer her monthly visit. Egrayn ran it. Absalom had warned Mirana tha night 'fore 'bout something.

Tellin' her that if the Red Queen knew, that she'd stop at nothing ta kill everyone tha' got in her way. Twas on that day tha' the queen found out she was gonna have a wee one runnin' 'bout. She'd been frightened and it took me and Chess all night ta calm her down. She feared her sister's wrath and that of ol' enemies.

Horevendush happened not long after.

Egrayn, the orphanage, me family, everyone in Witzend… The queen blamed herself fer it too, from what Chess tells me." Hatter said, his accent thick and his eyes turning a slight shade of blue in sadness. It was difficult, imagining Mirana in the position of a distressed damsel.

Oh yes, she's definitely very queen-like; all grace and elegance. But fearful? No, Alice couldn't see it. "I don't really see her as the type that would be afraid of anything…" She admitted after a moment. Tarrant turned her way, pride and sorrow swelling in his eyes.

"Nay, she aint easily startled, but that aint mean she's invincible. Mirana's strong, strongest person I've ever met, but even her strength falters at times." Alice frowned. Tarrant must know the White Queen better than she does, but she doesn't believe this tall tale.

What queen, what friend, what _mother_ would allow a seventeen year old girl to fight a creature like the _Jabberwocky_ without proper training and not even bat an eye? Strong? No. Manipulative? Cruel? Cold? Caulis? Selfish? Oh yes.

"You make it sound as though she's some sort of great hero." Alice said a bit bitterly.

"And ye make it sound like _you_ don't believe she is," Tarrant said in return, leaned forward, his eyes intense and an eyebrow raised. Alice hesitated a moment, confusion evident on her features, but she quickly regained her fire. "She's not given me any reason to believe it, so the question is; why do _you_?"

"Why do I believe the White Queen to be a hero?" Images flashed before his eyes… _A poor family, dressed in rags with little more than each other and the clothes on their backs, being forced to pay taxes they cannot afford; only for a white haired woman to admonish the debt collectors and pay the tax and offer them work in the castle…_

"Lass, I've seen it." _A building that had been destroyed in a raid – the former home of a family that now have nothing – that the king could not spare men or resources to rebuilt … Princess Mirana with a hammer in hand, calling over to Tarrant to hold the board in place…_

"I've seen it in the small," _A servant's child falling, scrapping her knee only for Mirana to rush over, kissing the small girl on the head, using her magic to heal the injury…_ "In the big," Alice stared at her friend, her brow furrowed at the faraway look on his face. He seemed to be reliving an old memory.

 _A red headed child slips from a bridge … drowning … a young white haired girl jumping in after to save him._ "She's done more fer the people than most will likely ever know." _The Jabberwocky swooping down over the white walls of Marmoreal… People screaming as fire erupts, scorching the walls black as smoke rises into the sky…_

 _A young queen rushing out into the courtyard, calling for the guards to get everyone inside… Red staring down at White from in the sky, an agreement being made… The white queen not struggling as she's being secured by Red Card Soldiers, the fire ceasing as the people now raise their voices in argument…_

* * *

A knock on the door breaks the silence, startling Mirana from her reading. She looks away from the scrolls and up at the door, wondering who could be visiting her at this hour. She stands discarding her work and opens the door. Her confusion then turns into surprise, "Racie?"

"May I come in?" The former queen asks politely, her voice strangely tame and without her signature childishness. Mirana mutely steps out of the way, too surprised by her sister's seemingly sombre tone to put much thought into the reason for the late-night visit.

Iracebeth quickly scans her sister's chambers, noting the abandoned paperwork on her desk. She ignores it and turns around watching her sister close the door. "You could have always stopped him." Mirana turned around, startled and confused, "What?"

"Stayne. When we took you to Crims. You could have stopped him." Mirana felt her mental walls shooting up at the reminder of the Red Knave and her time spent at Crims. With her expression guarded, she stared back at her sister. "I wasn't about to plunge Underland into more chaos by surrendering."

"No, Mirana. But you have magic. Just because the crown was not in your possession, did not mean you were powerless; you could still access your magic, yet you didn't use it. Not once." Her face became emotionless, her eyes unreadable. When she did not answer, Iracebeth went on.

"Your magic is what connects you to Underland; without it you would not have survived all those years ago. It's why you were chosen. In Crims, however, you did not use it. I did not take it, nor did I prevent you from using it. So enlighten me little sister, what kept you from saving yourself?"

The White Queen did not answer, but the red head met and kept her gaze, patiently waiting. The silence stretched on for several minutes before the younger woman pulled away. "It's not that simple." Mirana whispered at last. "Oh, but it seems quite simple to me. Your powers were not bound."

Mirana suddenly let out a humourless laugh, catching Iracebeth off guard. The older woman's eyes narrowed at the strange behaviour from her little sister. "Not bound? You forget the laws of Underland, Iracebeth. When Underland's ruler breaks, so does their control.

I was magicless from the moment that storm raged in answer to my powers."

"I recall the storm. It was the reason I chose to attack." "Then you should have realized that my magic would be useless until I was again named queen of Underland."

"…you'd wanted Stayne to kill you."

It was a statement, not a question. Silence followed; the air tense. Mirana could not meet her sister's gaze, not this time. "Perhaps… But Chessur changed my mind." She admitted softly after a moment. "Why?" Mirana turned around, looking at her sister in confusion, "Why what?"

"You have everything you could ever hope to have. _Why_ would you wish to die?" There was true concern in her sister's words and it caused Mirana's eyes to sting with tears. Iracebeth has changed much since she had started spending her days with Time. He is good for her.

"Because I also lost everything I'd ever wanted." Silence… "Tell me." Mirana glanced back at her sister, the red head's resolve strengthening as she took a seat on her sister's bed.

"Tell me your story."

* * *

Alice lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. So few of her questions had been answered. So few of her fears put to rest. She turned on her side and closed her eyes, hoping to calm herself down with a bit of sleep.

Her conversation with Tarrant had not ended as she had hoped.

Instead of telling her what she wanted to hear, he told her what she _didn't_ want to hear. Instead of securing her belief that her father was without fault, Tarrant had only allowed for more doubt and anger to grow within her; doubt in herself and anger at her parents.  
If only they could have kept their hands to themselves! If only her father and the White Queen had been stronger, perhaps then Alice would not feel as though shouting accusations every time the white haired woman's name was mentioned. And if only she'd listened to her head when she'd felt something off all that time ago.

Perhaps if she had listened to her instincts and then kept her mouth shut and not asked about that damn blanket then she'd have never found out about the affair and could have contently lived the rest of her life as Alice Kingsleigh, Captain of the Wonder and sailor of the Seas.

She turned on her stomach, pulling the pillow over her head. Damn her! Damn her and her bloody curiosity! Oh, and damn Mirana for being such a terrible mother and damn Stayne for drugging them all! Alice growled into the bed and pushed herself up, tossing the pillow at the wall in anger.

And damn all of this for keeping her awake! "No good comes from assaulting that which cannot fight back." Alice's head shot over to the sound of the familiar voice and true to her suspicions, there sat the blue butterfly on the vanity, surrounded by blue smoke.

He was by far smaller than he had been on the other side of the looking glass in her last visit. Alice sighed, falling back into bed, "Hello Absalom." "So you have learned the truth, have you?" "I'm starting to think that there isn't one person in this whole castle that doesn't have at least an inkling of the truth.

Everyone seems to know except for me. Would it really have killed you to tell me?" Alice asked bitterly. " _I know_ because I was the one to tell your mother of her bond to your father. Had it not been for me, she would not even have known she was with child."

"Oh, why thank you, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to come as a surprise." Her sarcasm was not lost on him, and she knew it. "You cannot remain upset with her forever, Alice. There may just come a day that she is no longer here to endure your childishness."

"Well perhaps if she spent a little less time manipulating everyone and lying through her teeth, then she would have less people upset with her and more people to idolize her." Alice huffed, pulling the bedcover over her head.

"You stupid girl, did you listen to nothing Tarrant has told you?"

"Tarrant doesn't know who I am, if he knew the truth then he wouldn't have taken _her majesty's_ side." "If you are so wise then why do you not just enlighten me about this truth, hmm?" Alice growled ripping the cover off from over her head and glaring at the butterfly.

"The White Queen had an affair with my father, found out she was pregnant, couldn't risk tarnishing her lovely reputation and didn't need to be weighed down and burdened by having to care for a child she did not wish for and thus left me in my father's care first chance she got and returned to her life as though nothing had happened.

Completely content with the idea that she was not at fault and would never have to-" "You really know nothing, do you?" Absalom interrupted, unfazed by the girl's furious glare. "I know enough." "Really?

Well did you know _stupid girl_ that your mother cried herself to sleep knowing that if her sister found out about your existence before Time had changed her, she would have killed you without second thought? Did you know that she had could have had the pregnancy terminated had she wished it?

Did you know that your mother nearly bled to death giving birth to you? Did you know that for two weeks after your birth – against my warnings – she kept you with her and cared for you despite knowing that she was not supposed to become attached?"

Absalom's glare was far more intense than Alice's, but on the other hand, she was a bit too startled to glare back. "You are more like your mother than you know." That riled her back up again, "She's not my mother." "Well then who is she?" Alice did not answer.

"There is a danger growing in strength and soon it will fall upon Underland with a force, Alice. The destruction it brings will be great and your choice will decide Underland's fate. Heed my words. Anger leaves room for corruption. Forgive Mirana and accept your past. Underland rests in your hands."

* * *

 **I hope you all liked it. Review, follow, favourite, go wild.**

 **~ Lyrical-Light**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

* * *

}-{

" _There is a danger growing in strength and soon it will fall upon Underland with a force, Alice. The destruction it brings will be great and your choice will decide Underland's fate. Heed my words. Anger leaves room for corruption. Forgive Mirana and accept your past. Underland rests in your hands."_

}-{

* * *

The next day brought with it an interesting change. Helen and all of Alice's friends, including Mirana, were outside enjoying an early lunch in the late morning air. A heavy silence hung over some of them, but this did not detour Mally or Thackery in the slightest. They were more than happy to liven up the party.

"Has anyone seen Alice this morning?"

One of Bayard's pups asked, wagging his tail as he got ready to pounce at a tower of cupcakes. "Not since last night I'm afraid. Must be exploring the castle." Tarrant said with a half-hearted smile. Try as he might, he too was worried about her and the curious behaviour she had displayed upon her visit.

"I believe Absalom spoke to her about something or another, though I must admit I do not know how their conversation had played out." Chessur said idly from his spot at the table next to the White Queen, casually sipping his tea.

"Must be serious if Absalom spoke with her," "Very serious indeed," the twins agreed, nodding their heads.

"I doubt it was all that bad," Nivens tried to intervene, pouring himself a second cup of tea. "It is possible that he was merely surprised by her arrival." Bayard offered as well, his head shooting to the side when one of his pups attempted to jump onto the table only to fall short.

"Or perhaps she was scared off by ol' big head." Mally joked, tossing Thackery a scone that he caught with one of his ears. "Talking about Iracebeth, where ever has she gone off too? We had such an interesting conversation yesterday." Helen smiled in curiosity, carefully spearing together some of the food on her plate.

"Oh, well from what I understand she left last night after speaking with the queen." Chessur commented turning to look at the queen for conformation only to frown upon realizing that she hadn't been paying attention. Again. "You've been awfully quiet your highness. I thought for certain the conversation would interest you."

Tarrant added, tilting his head slightly to the side as he looked at his old friend. "She aint listening." Thackery said in surprise batting away another scone with his spoon. "Sure she is! Watch. Mirana!" Mally called over, ducking from the scone that Thackery had deflected.

"Hmm?" Mirana asked absently, toying with her spoon and cold tea. "See?" Mally asked, wearing a slightly-smug smile as she tossed a sugarcube into Bayard's cup when he motioned for her to do so. Chessur shook his head turning back to Tarrant with a sigh. "I'm afraid she's been as talkative as the Jabberwocky all morning."

"Surely then something must be amiss?" Helen wondered glancing between the other occupants. "Possibly, but if something did, she's not saying." Nivens said with a shrug before ducking from a flying teacup. "Almost gotcha! Oi!" Thackery said with a laugh only to yelp and fall out of his chair.

Mally fell over laughing when he got back up, cream all over his face. "She hasn't been much fun this morning either." One of the twins added only to be elbowed by his brother. "Hey, don't say that bout the queen!" "But it's true!" "No, it aint!" "Yes it is!" "Not!" "Is!"

"You talk about her as though she isn't here." Helen observed. "Well she really isn't, now is she?" Another one of Bayard's pups commented from upon the table, sniffing at one of the teapots. As the chaos continued, Helen sat back in her chair with an amused smile, watching it all unfold, "I wonder what Alice is up to."

* * *

She growled in frustration, tossing the book at the nearest wall. With a flutter of pages it hit its mark and fell to the floor with a dull thud, falling shut. Around it, other books lay in a similar fashion, all of them having been tossed aside due to a lack of having the much sought after information the irritated blonde was looking for.

She'd been looking through the library all night trying to find any information concerning her father and the queen, but all she managed to find was what she already knows: Charles Kingsleigh was the Champion of the White Queen before the Red Queen usurped the throne plunging Underland into another age of darkness.

She couldn't ask any of the people; they're all biased. But she'd hoped that the library might hold an answer for her. And what a help it has proven to be! With an aggravated sigh, Alice slumped back into her chair, running a hand through her hair. "This is hopeless.

Not so much as a single book in here has any information on the relationship between the White Queen and my father." Looking out the window due to a lack of anything to do, Alice caught sight of the forest that now surrounded Marmoreal; the trees covering much of the surrounding land.

Something else caught her attention however and she walked over to the window to get a closer look. It took her a few minutes, but she finally found the odd shape that had caught her attention. Her brow furrowed in confusion at the sight that greeted her.

Between the trees, nestled behind an exceptionally thick bush, a man with black hair was looking out over the castle and its grounds, and more specifically, at the table that Helen and the others were seated at. Alice's eyes narrowed slightly and she continued to watch the man, wondering what he could be up to.

After a moment she saw him stiffen and slink away between the trees, his face obscured in the shadows. "Curious." Shaking her head, Alice went back to the desk, now pondering the strange man she'd seen watching her friends.

* * *

She only half listened to the conversation going on around her and hummed in acknowledgement every now and then when someone called her name. She didn't have much of an appetite and as much as she tried to distract herself, her mind kept wandering back to the conversation she'd had with her sister the night before.

She has no idea what came over her, but she had told Iracebeth everything. From the things of common knowledge all the way to the deepest secrets she carried around with her. Iracebeth had not said a single word during the whole exchange, merely sitting there and listening.

She had been understandably startled to learn that she has a niece and had shown deep uncharacteristic concern for her sister when Mirana had mentioned nearly losing herself in her grief. The two sisters had sat long into the night exchanging stories afterwards, even allowing a few tears to fall every now and then.

It had almost been unreal. Had the two not been just as lose when they were children, Mirana would not have believed it. Of course this also left to Iracebeth prodding Mirana's fears out to the forefront as well. The blonde was forced to come clean about how she felt about the whole situation, especially now that Alice knew.

It was kind of Iracebeth to listen so intently and it was sweet that she'd tried to provide a bit of comfort, albeit awkwardly, but it was a little unnerving at the same time. After spending so many years as rivals and even enemies, it was strange for her to again confide in her sister.

Mirana was suddenly torn from her pondering by the strangest feeling. It took her a moment to realize the meaning of the familiar sensation. She's being watched. The White Queen closed her eyes, reaching out with her magic to examine the surrounding environment.

She ignored the intense sensation of falling into cool water as the magic washed over her, everything around her becoming more vivid and she found herself able to discern between living beings and the inanimate or dead. It was intense and caused her senses to increase in sensitivity, but she pushed passed all of this easily enough.

After a few moments of searching she found what she was looking for. A person, a man if she's not mistaken, hidden within the forest, intently observing the casual little lunch she was sharing with her friends. With only a little guilt, Mirana allowed a small amount of her magic to penetrate the walls of his mind.

~ _I know you are there, Mage, and I suggest you leave immediately or I will summon my guards._ ~

~ _I do not fear your enchanted ornaments any more than I fear the farmers waltzing about in armour too big for their frail forms. For all your power, you are weak, little queen._ ~

~ _Who are you? Why do you spy on my affairs and hide yourself in the shadows?_ ~

~ _You do not know? Hahaha, you are even more ignorant than my Mistress said. The jaws of fate are closing in on you little queen. Soon you will join your beloved champion in his fate._ ~

Before Mirana could question the stranger any further, she felt the connection break off with a sharp snap. She searched around for him with her magic, only to come out empty handed. All that remained of the mysterious mage was a few traces of magic and the lingering sensation of distortion – a transportation spell, no doubt.

For an unexplainable reason, Mirana felt a feeling of dread wash over her. Whatever is going on, this spy won't be the last. And they won't stop until they have what they want, of that she was certain. However that brought forth the question of what it is that they are after. Whatever it is, though, this is only the beginning…

* * *

 **Tum-tum-tum! What do you think, does the plot thicken? And who is the spy's Mistress? Is it someone we know?**

 **Until next time –**

 **Lyrical-Light**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

 **WARNING: Violence and dark scenes ahead.**

* * *

 **Chapter 07:**

 _}-{_

 _For an unexplainable reason, Mirana felt a feeling of dread wash over her. Whatever is going on, this spy won't be the last. And they won't stop until they have what they want, of that she was certain. However that brought forth the question of what it is that they are after. Whatever it is, though, this is only the beginning…_

 _}-{_

A man stumbled foreward, falling before a throne obscured in shadow. He was pale and fear was evident in his eyes as he followed the large snake that slithered around upon the stone near the foot of the throne. Glowing yellow eyes stared back, the snake's scales coated in dried blood.

No doubt from the lifeless and now deformed body that lay some feet away. The man swallowed hard, despite his attempt to keep his expression blank. Two guards stood behind him, swords drawn and ready to kill him in a moment's notice. More men stood further out against the walls of the room, but either way, he was trapped.

"Tell me _huntsman_ ," a voice came from the throne, a knife glinting in the person's hand. "How is it that you, a lowly Underlandian – a servant of that weak little imposter queen – came to be in _my_ domain, wandering _my_ lands and sneaking about _my_ castle?"

"These are not your lands."

The man said glaring at the person on the throne, despite his obvious fear. "The Outlands belong to no man and least of all a banished brat." "How dare you-" A dark haired man with black eyes rushed foreward, the formerly ownerless sword of the diseased Ilosovic Stayne raised, ready to take off the man's head.

The person on the throne held up a hand, stopping the man in his tracks. Malicious green eyes gleamed in the low light. "No, Shane, do not soil your father's sword with the blood of this worthless worm. I have something else in store for our little _spy_." The man looked irritated, but nodded seething the sword and stepping back.

The Underlandian looked startled, fear flashing over his expression as he eyed the snake, before his fear was snuffed out by pure determination. He lunged foreward, pulling out a hidden dagger from his somewhere on his person and aiming to kill. The snake lunged foreward as well, bloody fangs bared and ready to bite down into flesh.

He was quick to cut off the beast's head and raised the blade to strike the person who calmly remained upon the throne. Before he knew what had happened, a knife had cut across his chest before he was thrown back by a great force of magic. He was knocked to the ground once more, his dagger laying discarded at the feet of the black haired man identified as Shane.

The spy had acquired a head wound as well as the cut across his chest for his efforts and yet the figure on the throne remained unharmed and didn't seem at all bothered by the blood dripping from the blade and onto their clothes, least of all that which lay at its feet.

The body of the now beheaded snake jiggled and wreathed before the foot of the throne, blood oozing from the neck and splattering out across the floor before another head grew back to replace the lifeless one that lay only a foot away. The Underlandian man's eyes widened in horror.

"Do you like my pet, little Underling? A creature of pure darkness born from the same fires as those that birthed the Jabberwocky. They are well known for their inability to be killed by any mortal means, but what they are even more known for are their potent poison. One drop of its acid-like venom will burn a hole through your skin."

The man's eyes were wide with horror and disgust, all fear having fled at the sight of the dark creature of the Outlandish Deserts. "Do to me what you wish, but killing me will only make this all the more bittersweet. I have already sent word of your plans, you will not be able to win this time."

"Oh?" The voice asked amused, motioning towards one of the guards to come forth. Absolute terror flashed across the man's face when the guard flung a dead raven at his feet, the bird nearly unrecognisable. "You did not think my lovely Nogahr had already taken care of your little bird?

She was quite happy to rip into its flesh, feathers sputtering about as it flailed uselessly in an attempt to escape and complete its mission, but alas, the weak fall to the strong." "You won't get away with this!" "Dear little Underling, I have been getting away with it since the moment your little queen swore off violence."

Green eyes flickered up to the guards behind the scowling man who lay before the throne and then the two guards stepped foreward, one hitting the hilt of his sword into the man's head before the other grabbed one of his legs and dragged him out of the room, his companion smirking in glee.

"Shane, when that ignorant rat cries for mercy and finally leaves this world for the afterlife, I want you to take his head – with that dear dagger of his pierced through his worthless skull – and deliver it to my darling little cousin. Be certain to make the discovery memorable."

Shane bowed before the throne, the light revealing his black clothing and the dark splotches of blood on his shoes. "I shall not disappoint." The green eyes did not waver in displaying the ever present malice, but a smirk came to the features of the figure cloaked in shadow, the snake hissing over its shoulder.

"I would hope not, Black Knight."

* * *

It has been several days since the man that had been spying on them had fled from Marmoreal through use of magic and even now Mirana could not shake the immense feeling of dread that seemed intent on pushing down on her mind whenever given even the slightest chance.

She did not know whether it was mere paranoia or if it was Underland sending her a warning, but she chose to only increase security for now … just in case. Granted Underland was at a time of peace, but peace is a fragile thing. It takes but one little mistake to doom an entire realm.

She ought to know.

One mistake, one little lie, had sent both she and her sister on paths that had not been the ones they were meant to travel. Her mistake had changed everything. Instead of becoming the Queen of a flourishing kingdom that loved and adored her, Iracebeth was doomed to be feared and despised.

This hatred left her with only the hope of her birthright to amend what had been done, but that too was taken from her … and by none other than her own sister; the one who had doomed all of Witzend just so that she wouldn't get in trouble for sneaking into the kitchen and eating a tart.

Mirana sighed, slamming her head down into the open book on her desk. So much heartache and suffering could have been avoided had she merely told the truth that fateful night on Fell Day… "Are you pitying yourself again, Mirana?" Not bothering to look up, despite knowing that it is considered rude, Mirana shook her head.

"Ah yes, lamenting your foolishness then. Well, silly girl, injuring the book will bring you no relief from the guilt. And you should already know this." "I am well aware that one must accept the fruit of any deed they perform, Absalom." Mirana said with a bit more fury than she had intended, her words slightly muffled by the book.

"Well then you are well aware that you will have to accept it should you grow ill from all the ink and dust you are inhaling." "Underland may just benefit from it." Mirana said with a heavy sigh as she brought up her head from the book, her fingers gripping tightly against the edges of the leather bound cover.

"The past cannot be changed; what's done is done and cannot be undone. You must look to the future if you wish to make amends." "You've told me that countless times and yet nothing I do seems to be significant enough to make up for what I have done. Even my own daughter believes me to be nothing but callous."

"She does care for you, Mirana, but at the moment she is lost and too blinded to see it." "I can hardly blame her. Her whole world has been turned on its head and with one betrayal comes the fear of others to follow." The White Queen answered with a heavy heart, running a hand through her hair.

"With time, she may yet realize her own mistakes and will work to amend them. She is much like you in that regard; determined to do what you believe to be right, despite the consequences, but not so stubborn as to not admit when in the wrong once you realize it."

"I don't see how that is supposed to bode well for Underland, considering everything I've done." "If you can grow in wisdom than so can she. You have come a long way, Mirana, but now you must have faith. Yesterday is gone, but tomorrow may not be as dark as you think."

The queen turned in her chair, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Have you been speaking to the Riddler again?" Absalom's own mouth twitched into a slight smile, eyes dancing with suppressed amusement, "Perhaps." Mirana leaned back in her chair and suddenly found herself looking at the Armour of Underland and the Vorpal Sword held in its grasp.

The blade glinted in the light, taunting her with its majesty, beckoning her to come closer and take it in hand. The white stones flashed red for a moment and she tore her gaze away, she can never take up that sword. "You are still tempted," Absalom observed, raising a brow.

"The Vorpal Sword was forged for me, of course I'm tempted." "And yet you have not touched it since the fateful day young Alice returned it here." "In this case it is best for the past to remain in the past." The Butterfly chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "We both know that you cannot run forever.

There will come a day where your vow shall be your doom. I warned you not to make it, I warned you that there would be consequences-" "And there have been many, yes, I am well aware. But my vow, Absalom … I-I cannot break the last thing preventing me from becoming like all the others.

Thanatos, Elaina, Ilosovic, Iracebeth … my mother…" She felt tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of all of those whom had succumbed to the darker side of Underland's power, the one which left any and all who touched it corrupted and bloodthirsty…  
She cannot risk becoming something so monstrous. So evil… "You are stronger than you think. That sword was forged for you for a reason, but I shall not argue that allowing another to wield it has also brought fortune to Underland. Perhaps however, the time is drawing near for someone to wield the sword again."

"What do you mean?" Mirana asked tentatively, concern gnawing at the edges of her mind. "An old enemy is returning and soon Underland will be plunged back into war. The Oraculum has not revealed much, but what it did say could either mean Underland's salvation or its destruction."

"W-what did it say?" She feared the answer, but she knew that this hint of knowledge could also make all the difference. Absalom looked her directly in the eye, all amusement wiped clean off his face and replaced with a grim expression.

" _A daring act to melt a heart cold._

 _A Champion of Underland must defeat a snake to save a Champion of Old._

 _A Q_ _ueen must fall, for a warrior to rise._

 _And the Vorpal Sword shall be wielded in the fires of battle against one of Underland's greatest foes to mark the end of the Sorceress' lies."_

* * *

 **The first peek at our mysterious villain and Absalom is spouting prophecies. Oh boy. Here comes trouble.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed it!**

– **Lyrical-Light**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 08:**

}-{

" _A Champion of Underland must defeat a snake to save a Champion of Old._

 _A daring act to melt a heart cold._

 _A Queen must fall, for a warrior to rise._

 _And the Vorpal Sword shall be wielded in the fires of battle against one of Underland's greatest foes to mark the end of all lies."_

}-{

"Alice, you've been awfully quiet. Did you not enjoy your day with Tarrant?" Helen asked as she poured herself a cup of tea. She'd come to quite like Marmoreal as well as Underland's people.

Everything reminded her of Charles and his adventures and of the life she'd dreamt of when she'd been but a child herself. Underland is truly the wonderland of her childhood and she could see herself staying here, but of course that would mean leaving London and in turn, Margaret and her family, behind.

Of course there were also other things to consider, such as what she has learned on this trip and the friends she has made.

Helen wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but fortunately there was still time left to decide and no need to rush things. Right now though, it was late and Alice had decided to drop by her stepmother's rooms, but now that she was here, she didn't know what to say.

She wasn't even entirely sure why she had come to begin with. "Oh no, my day with Tarrant was wonderful, it's just…" Helen leaned back into her chair, a tired expression on her face as she spoke.

"You're still upset with Mirana."

"No, I'm- well, yes, yes I'm still furious with her, but that's beside the point. Tarrant and I had gone to the village in Witzend and I saw someone there that looked familiar. A man.

I didn't recognise him, but he seemed to be keeping an eye on us. He was also similarly dressed to the man I'd seen spying on you all two weeks ago." "Have you told the queen?" Helen asked concerned.

Alice huffed, crossing her arms. "No, but I'm sure Tarrant did." Helen sighed, "You are being unfair, Alice. Mirana is trying, truly she is, but you keep throwing her efforts right back into her face."

"That's just it, she hasn't been doing _anything_. She acts as though I don't even exist!" "That's not true and you know it!" Helen suddenly snapped at her stepdaughter, causing Alice to stare at her in shock and surprise.

Taking a deep breath, the older Kingsleigh tried to calm herself before she looked back at the blonde haired girl before her. She hadn't meant to snap like that, but she has had just about enough of Alice's attitude.

"I'm sorry, but Alice you've done nothing but blame Mirana for everything since the moment you uncovered the truth. You accuse her and say the most terrible things, but not once since we arrived has she done anything to make me believe you.

She's invited you to join us for at the table every day and left you alone when you asked her to. You insult her to her face and she says nothing back. She isn't the one who isn't trying, Alice.

You are."

"So, what? You're taking her side now?" Alice asked incredulously. "I'm not taking anyone's side, I'm merely telling you what it is that I see. She's trying to reach out, Alice, but you keep pushing her away."

"But why should I listen to anything she has to say? She hid the truth from me, used me in her little game. How can I trust her?" "But don't you think you're hurting her as well?

Don't you see how hard it is for her to hear everything that you say about her? What if Tarrant went about telling everyone that you aren't a good friend, that you lie and deceive and treat others like dirt? Wouldn't that hurt you?"

"Maybe…" Alice admitted, not meeting Helen's gaze. "Look, I'm not telling you to forgive her, Alice. She should have told you the truth. But that doesn't mean that you can treat her like this."

Helen took Alice's hands in her own, looking her in the eye. "Just give her a chance. You don't have to accept her as your mother, but try to remember that you used to be friends and that you still can be."

Alice sighed, nodding her head in defeat. She'll admit that perhaps she hasn't been treating the queen well and that most of what she said was uncalled for, but pride prevented her from apologizing.

Mirana had been one of her closest friends, someone she had confided in and Mirana had betrayed her. She'd broken her trust and lied to her. It's going to be hard to trust her again.

Suddenly bells were ringing all around the castle, making both Alice and Helen jump up, startled. A human guard then burst into the door, sweat lining his forehead, his eyes panicked. His words shocked the Kingsleigh women greatly.

"Champion, you need to come with me. The queen has been attacked."

* * *

"I thank you all for your concern, but as I've said before, I'm fine." Mirana said in exasperation, trying and failing to convince all but a spare few that she was all right.

Everyone had gathered in the throne room, where only moments ago an assassin had revealed herself amongst the guards. The Mad Hatter had stopped the traitorous woman before she could do much harm to Mirana, but that hadn't stopped the assassin from relaying a most horrifying message before killing herself.

It was quite a gruesome event.

"What happened?" Alice demanded, rushing in after the guard with Helen right behind her. The blonde froze at the sight of the body of a dead guard on the floor, blood on the hem of the queen's dress and one sleeve.

"That guard was an assassin!" "Where were you when the queen was attacked?" "Why did you not protect her?" "Are you not the Champion?" There were quite a few people who seemed upset with Alice, all angry and demanding answers.

The Champion herself could do little more than stare. Someone tried to kill Mirana? "Please everyone, calm yourselves! How was our Champion to know that this would happen?

I understand that you are all upset and shaken, but please, do not blame an innocent girl." The queen pleaded with her people, trying to make them see that they were being unjust.

"But it not true that our Champion has done nothing but insult you in recent times, your highness?" One guard questioned, causing a few shouts of agreement amongst many of the castle's servants.

"And had she not refuse to stand guard with the others when your majesty issued the increase in security?" A nobleman questioned, gaining many loud agreements from his fellows.

Mirana looked unsure when she spoke, the hurt in her eyes betraying her. "Well, it is true that dear Alice has not been feeling herself, but that's hardly-" "I say the Champion be suspended!" Another nobleman voiced, earning an agreeing shout from many.

The situation was quickly getting out of hand and Mirana wasn't sure what to do, the shock from the attack causing her to be unable to think as clearly as she would have liked.

Alice was shocked by what everyone was saying and very much surprised that the queen would try to defend her, but no one seemed to be listening. "Silence!" Tarrant roared over the loud chattering and angry shouting, causing many to stumble back in surprise.

The Hatter looked furious.

"How dare ye nay-Sayers speak such foul words about our Champion! Did she not free Underland from the Bludy Begh Head? Did shay not slay the Jabberwock with Vorpal Blade and Muchness alone?

Did shay not free ye all from Underland's dark years? Did she not save ye from eternal destruction? How dare you accuse her of such vile things!" No one could speak up against the Hatter, all too shocked or too ashamed.

Mirana put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder, brining him out of his madness. He turned to her in surprise, orange eyes turning back to green. "It's all right," She whispered to him with a nod and he nodded back, calming down.

The White Queen turned to her subjects and friends, and glanced at the body of the assassin, her throat tightening slightly at the thought of there being traitors under her very nose – and so close to her daughter.

"What happened today is unfortunate, but no one was seriously hurt and for that we can be thankful. This event only stands to show us that we have been too lax in our duties since the defeat of my sister and I ask that we all be more alert from now on.

Security will be increased, the guards' will be re-evaluated and extra training hours will be added to their schedules. If there are any other suggestions, I will be happy to hear them tomorrow during court hours.

Now, if someone will please remove the body and start cleaning here…" She trailed off watching as the servants sprung to life, bowing before rushing to do as asked, several guards aiding them.

"Finally, if you all do not mind, I would like to take my leave and wash up." She added, dismissing everyone present. They all bowed before trickling out, only her friends, Alice, Helen and a few guards remaining.

* * *

It was many hours later when Mirana was finally able to end her day. After getting cleaned up, she'd gone to speak with the Captain of the Guard and then had to check for imposters amongst the guards and after that, she had paperwork to finish with.

And after all of that, she found herself caring little about decorum and fell down on her bed with a groan as her muscles ached in protest from the day's exertions.

She lay on the bed like that for quite a while, unwilling to move and too tired to dress in her nightwear. The assassin's words suddenly came to mind and Mirana felt her whole body go numb at the reminder of what had happened.

" _My Mistress wishes you to know that you shall be reunited with your Champion soon. She hungers for Underland's change and she will not rest until you pay for your crimes Mirana of Marmoreal! You are being hunted! But do not fear, you shall pay for the blood of our sisters and brothers that you spilt!"_

Who is it that wishes her demise? Who is it that knows of her past? There are few we remain who could have sent the assassin, but Mirana feared that all of this was but the beginning.

The mage and assassin are but part of a bigger picture, if only she knew what it was…

The knock on her door felt both an annoyance and a punishment, because she could barely move. "Just a minute!" She managed to call out in a tired voice, forcing herself into an upright position.

* * *

Alice had spent the better part of the remaining evening finding out what had happened and practicing an apology speech.

As much as she was angry at Mirana, she would not wish her dead…

The assassination attempt had come as quite the shock and she is ashamed to admit that it had taken this much for her to realize that Absalom is right. Had Tarrant not been able to stop that woman…

It was with a sigh and a heavy heart that Alice had forced herself down the halls, many scenarios of what could have happened playing about in her mind. Mirana had been her friend once, but even now, Alice must admit that she knows little about her mother.

Alice had had seven years to spend with her father, but she has only ever spent a few days at a time in Underland – hardly long enough to get to know anyone. If the queen had died, Alice wouldn't know what she would have done.

She wouldn't be able to live with herself if her mother's last memory of them together was of her daughter despising her unjustly with every fibre of her being.

The mere thought now left Alice numb and with a heavy weight in her heart and guilt on her conscious. She'd been so caught up in trying to preserve her father's memory that she'd completely turned herself away from reality.

And then it hit her with the force of a freight-train.

With a dry throat, Alice called upon all the muchness she possessed and knocked on the door of the White Queen's chambers, her heart pounding in her ears. "Just a minute!" Was the tired reply she received and Alice contemplated leaving the queen be, but pushed the thought away.

She'd come to apologize and she will.

She waited a few moments before the door opened and Mirana's exhausted expression turned to one of complete surprise as she took in the guest before her, caught off guard. "Alice?"

"I-I came to apologize. I haven't been treating you very fairly these last few weeks and I am ashamed to admit that it took you nearly being assassinated to wake me up. I'm so sorry."

Mirana looked at her in stunned silence for a moment before she stepped aside, motioning for Alice to come in. The blonde haired Champion did so hesitantly, unsure of what to expect and at a lack of what to say.

Mirana closed the door behind them and walked over to her bed and sat down, Alice joining her a moment after. "If this is about what had been said in the throne room-" "No, they were right, I truly haven't been treating you at all how I should.

You were my friend and though I'm still upset that you hadn't told me the truth, I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did. It's just, my father and I were so close and when he died, it felt like my world had ended.

I was trying so hard to hold onto how I remembered him that I didn't think about what I was doing to anyone else. I'm sorry…" Alice bowed her head, unable to look at her mother. Mirana gently lifted Alice's chin, making her look at her.

"Alice, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But-" "You were upset and you felt betrayed. Everything you knew had been turned on its head and all because I did not have the courage to tell you the truth all those years ago when you first stumbled into Underland.

I will not lie, your withdrawal from me hurt, but what hurt even more was the fact that it was my fault. I should have told you the truth and for that, I'm sorry."

Alice lunged foreward, capturing her mother in a tight embrace, tears in her eyes. Mirana was surprised by the sudden action and was barely able to stop them both from falling off the bed.

Alice held on tighter, trying to assure herself that Mirana was there and alive as everything just erupted inside of her all at once, her tears falling. "I'm so sorry." She cried into her mother's shoulder, holding on as though her life depended on it.

The White Queen felt her own eyes sting with tears as she embraced her daughter, all her years of pain slowly seeping to the forefront of her mind as she comforted the child she had not been given the chance to raise.

* * *

 **End of Chapter.**

 **What did** _ **you**_ **think? Was it all right?**

 **\- L.L.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

 **WARNING: Mentions of violence and character death**

* * *

 **Chapter 09:**

 _}-{_

 _The White Queen felt her own eyes sting with tears as she embraced her daughter, all her years of pain slowly seeping to the forefront of her mind as she comforted the child she had not been given the chance to raise._

 _}-{_

It was many days after Mirana and Alice reconciled that the next disturbing event occurred. The two had been sitting at the tea table with Helen and their friends when a guard had come rushing up to them.

" _Majesty, there is someone at the gate! He demands to speak with you!"_

They had rushed to see who it was, but what met their sights was something they hadn't been prepared for.

" _Mirana of Marmoreal, Usurper Queen of Underland! Bear witness to what happens to those that defy the sovereign of the Outlands!"_

The man had come with several guards of his own, all whom held a prisoner – men and woman, even two children. And before their eyes, each of those poor Underlandians had met a bloody fate. Eight throats were slit and eight lives were lost.

It was a sight that would haunt those that had borne witness to it for many years to come. But the man did not stop there.

" _Our Mistress also wishes to express her displeasure with your spy! Though as you can see, he won't be a problem any longer!"_

The man had tossed a severed head towards the gate – a now former guard who had been sent on a recon mission to the Outlands over a month ago – but it was barely recognizable. There were no eyes and a bloody dagger nearly split the skull in two.

Mirana did not dare wonder what had happened to the rest of the Underlandian. A few archers had attempted to shoot down the man and his fellows, but their arrows were deflected by a black barrier before the Outlanders vanished, smirks on their faces.

News of the event had travelled fast and before Mirana had properly dealt with funeral arrangements, she was forced to soothe the minds of the people – all of whom had started to panic, fearing what this new threat will bring to Underland.

Alice was quite shaken herself, but one thing in particular stood out to her; their new enemy clearly knows Mirana and _does not like her at_ _all_. But this left the question of whom it could be and why they have a grudge against the White Queen.

Underland's Champion needed to get answers and she quite doubted that she would find them in the Castle Library.

* * *

"Tarrant, please. Who do you know of that would want to get rid of Mirana?" The Hatter was hesitant and perhaps a tad nervous, but as he fiddled with his sewing tools and the fabric of a new masterpiece, he pondered her question.

"Truthfully I can't really think of that many because there aren't many to begin with."

"But there is more than one?" Alice prompted, a bit concerned. "Well the Red Queen used to be our biggest concern, but since she's decided to turn the page, others may have risen in her place."

"Such as?" "Oh, anyone really, mostly the Red Queen's supporters, but there are others it could be as well." "Anyone with a lot of influence? And with the support of magicians?"

"Well… there was this one fellow, Thanatos, but he died in a duel to the death against Charles."

Duel to the death? Against her father? "Did he have any family?"

"Of course! He was the king's brother after all!" "The king's brother?" Alice asked dumbfounded. Were all siblings in Underland on opposing sides? "Fellow had a daughter too. Despicable little witch.

Constantly tried to kill Mirana when she was a princess, but was strangely fond of Iracebeth." "What do you mean she constantly tried to kill Mirana?" Alice asked suddenly, unable to believe what she was hearing. Tarrant looked up at her, confused.

"Well, precisely what I said of course. Because the Red Queen was in line for the throne Mirana was to be trained as Underland's Champion, but when her magic revealed itself, the dreadful woman became jealous and tried to kill her in various horrible manners.

Drowning, poisoning, burning- actually, I think Mirana still has the scars from that one duel they had for the throne before she was banished." Tarrant added as an afterthought.

"Wait, wait, back up. Mirana was to be Underland's Champion if Iracebeth had become queen? And she'd duelled this woman? But what about her vow?"

"She only took the vow after Charles left Underland, remember? Before that, she'd been one of Underland's fiercest defenders." "But what- why would she…" Alice wasn't sure what to say. Mirana? Underland's Champion? But she's the 'benevolent' queen that wouldn't hurt a fly…

How many more things was her birthmother keeping from her? "She feared that she would become corrupted and would bring destruction to Underland instead of protection, so she sought out the most honourable, made him her champion, passed the Vorpal Sword to Charles and took her vow some time after.

I recall her doing so during tea time. Thackery wasn't very pleased." The Hatter shook his head while pulling a slight face, as though remembering something distasteful. "But... Why didn't she say anything?" "Well she's always been ashamed, but I think the reason she hadn't said anything to you is because of Absalom.

Infernal little beast. I'll never understand why he chooses to always speak of such nonsensical things such as prophecies and destiny. Puh! There's no such thing as destiny!" Alice didn't hear the rest of Tarrant's speech, her mind drifting off to unknown places.

Mirana – her birthmother – would have been the Champion of Underland? She had fought and seen the ways of battle, and yet she had chosen to sit back and allow others to fight her battles? How many lives could have been saved over the years if Mirana had never made that vow?

* * *

"You must excuse Colin, he forgets his strength at times."

A voice rang through the air and over to the man slumped against the wall of the cell. He looked up with a tired expression. He was clothed in rags, his long hair an unruly mess and nearly every inch of visible skin was either covered with bruises or dirt.

"I hope you find your new accommodations more welcoming than your last. The dungeon becomes understandably messy at times."

The sound of shoes clicking on stone echoed through the room like a clap of thunder in the silence of night. The man chained in the cell said nothing, merely continued to stare on in silence.

"Oh, now don't be like that. Rejoice! For soon you won't be alone. Shane tells me that The Alice has returned to Underland and that there seems to be something stirring in the castle. It's only a matter of time, now. My influence grows every day and soon young Alice shall join us in our fight against that wrench." The voice continued tauntingly.

The man still refused to say anything.

"I would kill you as you are of little use to me, but I want the privilege of torturing your witch. Maybe make you watch. And after I'm done with her, I'll leave her to Colin. Or better yet, one of the beasts of the Outlands."

At last, the man spoke up, but his voice was raspy and weak from disuse.

"Whatever it is you hope to gain from this, you will not find it. Underland's magic only answers to a true ruler." A booming laugh followed the chained man's words, echoing through the cell.

"A true ruler? My dear, you do not comprehend the falsehood of those words.

She is nothing but a little rat. Had my father had his way she would have never even been born, but alas those meddlesome Hightopps had gotten to the queen first... Ah well, no use in crying over spilt milk.

My bane lives and I cannot wait to see her plummet once she realizes the grave mistake she'd made in swearing that little vow of hers." The figure turned, a malicious smirk crossing over their features.

"Oh but you needn't worry; soon all will become clear and our dear Alice will unlock the means with which I shall storm Marmoreal and the rest of Underland. It is unfortunate that my father's influence over Iracebeth has finally ended, she made quite the lovely asset, but she was too temperamental for my tastes anyway."

* * *

 **Was that a bit better? Anyway, we get another glance of our villain and they have a captive. Who could it be? Please review or PM and tell me what I think, I could use both criticism and ideas. Thanks.**

– **L-L**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

 **I've lost much of my inspiration for this story and I can't quite remember where I'** **d gotten the idea for this to begin with, but I'm trying to push on nonetheless. I hope to have it completed before the end of the year at the latest, because I started in March and it's already December, but there is a good possibility that this will not come to pass.**

 **I don't like to draw things out like this and for that I apologize. I'd never written up a rough draft for the story as I had done with some of my others and that's why it's taking so long. And again, I must apologize for that. Either way, I've wasted enough of your time, here's the next chapter:**

* * *

 **Chapter 10:**

 _}-{_

" _Oh but you needn't worry; soon all will become clear and our dear Alice will unlock the means with which I shall storm Marmoreal and the rest of Underland. It is unfortunate that my father's influence over Iracebeth has finally ended, she made quite the lovely asset, but she was too temperamental for my tastes anyway."_

 _}-{_

Alice tossed in her sleep, her hair matted to her forehead and her face contorted into an expression that can only be described as pained. She'd been having nightmares ever since that Black Knight had appeared. And there have been several incidents since then.

Alice herself has met him at least twice upon the battlefield. Things have been escalating in Underland from that day and it is only getting worse. More and more people have been disappearing and every day another village comes seeking the aid of the queen.

Mirana has been overwhelmed with work and rarely has a spare moment these days. Chessur and Tarrant have been fighting to keep the peace, as contradicting as that sounds. Helen has been busy helping the bookkeeper, Mr Barnabas Garamond.

Alice had met him some time ago and she personally thought that he is strikingly similar to Lord Ascot in personality, but his outward appearance is quite different. She'd also noticed that her stepmother and he had become friends so swiftly that she could barely remember a time they weren't.

Alice turned again, the sheets tangled and her pale blonde hair drenched in sweat. She was mumbling in her sleep, her sentences were incoherent; her words spoken too fast to understand. She's been having the same nightmare for the last four days and it seems determined to cling to her.

She rolled over completely, burying her face in the pillow as she tried to fight off the horrid things she was witnessing. It all went by so fast she didn't have much time to wonder about anything, much less the meaning behind her dreams. The battles she was seeing, the fights – it all seems so real ... too real.

She turned again, kicking at the blankets. Whether she did this to fight off an imaginary foe or to escape the uncomfortable heat, was left unknown. _Too many deaths, too many lives lost._ Alice shot upright with a scream on her lips and wet hair in her face.

She panted, eyes wide. No, that couldn't have been real. But what if this is a dream and _that_ had been her reality? She looked around her quickly then pinched herself on the arm. She felt it. Falling back in her bed with a relieved sigh Alice stared up at the ceiling unable to sleep further after what she'd seen.

Is it possible that Underland was sending her a warning? Is this the fate that will await them should they fail to stop the Black Knight and his mistress?

* * *

"Morning, Mother, Mirana, Tarrant." Alice greeted with a yawn as she took a seat at the breakfast table. Helen took one look at her stepdaughter and took her plate, filling it up herself, "Rough night?" "Hmm-hmm." She hummed in reply lying down on her arms.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" "No, it's quite all right, your highness. Alice has had bad dreams for as long as we can remember, although they have been gone for some time now." Helen answered, waving off Mirana's concern. She then turned to Alice and lightly slapped her on the arm.

"Come now, sit up straight and eat. I will not have you becoming as thin as a skeleton." Alice sent her a tired half-smile and did as told, rather used to the routine by now. It was one of the few things that remained the same from her childhood. Helen would always insist that she at least eat.

"Had I known, I could have prepared a sleeping draught for you." Mirana continued, still concerned. She wasn't aware that Alice suffered from nightmares. It was a common thing for Mirana, as Underland often sent her visions in her sleep – but not always.

Some nightmares were her burden to carry and hers alone. "No, it's all right, but thank you for the offer. I'll keep it in mind." "If you are certain..." Mirana still looked concerned, but she said nothing more on the matter. If Alice wants her help, she will come to her. She cannot push her daughter.

* * *

Later that day after training practice with the guards, Alice wandered the halls of Marmoreal a bit more, noting all the changes made by the Build Master since her last visit. After a while she turned a corner and entered the library, hoping to continue her newest search: Members of the Royal Family.

She stopped when she entered and couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted her. "Mr Garamond, let me help you with that," Alice chuckled as she walked around the desk, helping the bookkeeper to gather the papers that had somehow ended up sprawled all over the floor with the brown haired man right in the middle of it all.

He looked up at the sound of her voice only to hit his head against his desk. He rubbed his head and gave her a sheepish smile. "Hello again my dear. Your help would be very much appreciated; you know how clumsy I can be." "You're not clumsy Mr Garamond, the books are just slippery."

"That they are, my dear." They both laughed at their little inside joke. It had all started back when she was still looking through the books for more information on her heritage. He'd walked in on her as she'd thrown the final book at the wall and reprimanded her for it.

In the end they'd gotten into an argument where they came to the agreement that 'the book slipped.' It came into use again later when she first found him in a similar situation, everything around him in a state of disarray. Now though, they were rather good friends.

And besides, Mr Garamond and Helen certainly seemed to have a bit more than purely plutonic feelings for one another. Alice wasn't going to comment on that however; her stepmother deserves a bit of happiness after everything that has happened.

"There, all done." "Thank you, Lass. I don't know what I'd do without you or your mother's help. With the queen so busy, there is nearly never time for her to help an old man." "You're not old. You don't even have grey hair." "Perhaps not, but it certainly feels like it." He laughed.

"I tidied up a bit, but I left everything as it was, so you should be able to easily continue with your work." "Thank you, Sir. Just call if you need anything." "Will do. Now, get back to your reading." He said, making a shooing motion and she laughed walking off with a smile.

* * *

" _Alice... Alice... Alice..."_ "Alice!" "Huh? What- I'm up!" She looked around her to see Mr Garamond standing there with an amused smile on his face. "You fell asleep, Lass. It was quite the mission to wake you." "I can imagine." Alice laughed, remembering how Helen always complained about it as well.

"You best be getting up, it's almost dinner time and no doubt your friends would want to see you. You've been cooped up inside this ol' library for most of the day." "You're right, thank you, Mr Garamond. I'll see you tomorrow!" "You're welcome and sent my thanks to your mother as well!" "Will do!"

* * *

Surprisingly, dinner had passed swiftly and after relaying Mr Garamond's message to her stepmother, Alice was more than ready to end the day with a goodnight's sleep. Unfortunately, that was not to be. No sooner had she fallen asleep than her dreams were haunted with the spirit of war.

For a fifth time, she found herself seeing a battle so horrid it made the one with the Jabberwocky look like a walk in the park. She doesn't know when she started screaming, nor does she know when Helen and Mirana had entered her room, she only remembers waking up to the concerned expressions of her mother and stepmother.

She'd lunged into the arms of whoever was nearest and started crying and both women started to soothe her, fearful of what could have upset her so and worried by her severe reaction to it. "It's all right, Alice. It's over now." "You're safe. Shhh, you're safe."

She wasn't sure which one of her mothers she was clinging to, or which one said what, only that she was crying into the shoulder of whomever was holding her and that the other woman was running soothing circles over her back, whispering comfortingly.

In Overland, she was considered a grown woman and was expected to act as such with no exceptions. But there were no such expectations here in Underland. There was no rule saying she wasn't allowed to cry or seek comfort from her mother. Well, mothers.

Because people in Underland did not age nearly as fast as those in Overland, she wasn't all that surprised to learn that she could still be considered a young girl here in Underland. In fact, had it not been for the Oraculum, she would probably have been considered to be the same as any other Underlandian.

It is also one of the reasons she found it so easy to seek out the comfort of her family. Without them, she would be lost, of that she was certain. Helen and Mirana shared a concerned glance as their daughter clung to the queen, unwilling to let go. They had been speaking in Helen's chambers when they heard Alice screaming.

Mirana wanted to know more about her daughter and after finding out about the nightmares, she was adamant to learn whatever she could so that she may be able to help her. Helen of course didn't hesitate, for they both only wanted the best for Alice and wished to help her.

They did not expect to find her in such a state, thrashing and screaming incoherently. At first, Helen had thought Alice was being attacked and had nearly asked Mirana to send for her guards, but she instead decided to just throw caution to the wind and follow the queen's example and not even bother with so much as picking up her overcoat when they rushed out the door.

Neither enjoyed seeing the girl they had grown to love – usually so stubborn and full of spirit – looking so lost and afraid. For both mothers it seemed in that moment that their own executions would be less painful than watching Alice suffer so.

Although Mirana and Alice had grown significantly closer after their little heart-to-heart, Alice had preferred to not show affection physically other than a hug or two when it came to her birthmother. Mirana knew that it was only to be expected as she had not raised Alice and it will take more time before the girl could be comfortable around her like that.

So it was understandable that Mirana had been a bit caught off guard when Alice had clung to her and not Helen. The elder Kingsleigh was not surprised in the slightest however, in fact, she was silently pleased to see that Alice was opening up to the queen.

Although she loves Alice and had raised her, she knew Mirana only wanted to protect her daughter and had done all she could do at the time to ensure that Alice grew up safe and loved instead of being in constant danger and growing up with the fear that any day could very well be her last.

"Shhh, you're safe." Mirana repeated, stroking her daughter's hair in an effort to calm her. "We're here, Alice." Helen added, drawing lazy patterns in an effort to soothe her stepdaughter. It wasn't until some time after that Alice was able to calm down enough for her to speak, her voice hoarse from crying so much.

"'m sorry." She muttered into Mirana's nightgown, not really knowing what she was apologizing for, but feeling better for doing it nonetheless. "There is nothing to apologize for, Alice. You were upset and we came." Mirana soothed, still running her nimble fingers gracefully through her daughter's hair.

"Do you want to tell us about your nightmare?" Helen asked softly, not having ceased in drawing circles on the girl's back. Alice thought about it for a moment before she decided on what to do, the dream still so vivid in her mind. "There was a dark castle with an army gathered at the gate.

Marmoreal was in ruins. All of Underland was burning. There was a great battle, but everything was covered in smoke and it was hard to see who was fighting who. The Black Knight had somehow gotten the Vorpal Sword and he was slaughtering everyone in his path.

And then there was woman with brown hair that I didn't recognise. She was sitting on a throne, a snake curled around her. She was watching everything, even _laughing_. There were so many who died... So much destroyed..." It was as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over the White Queen's head as she listened.

Fear suddenly gripped her heart as everything suddenly fell into place. "Alice ... this woman, did she have an amulet around her neck? With a black stone?" The question wasn't expected, but Alice still focused on answer. After relaying her dream a few times, she nodded. "Do you know her?"

Mirana paled and stood up quickly, barely registering Alice's words. "Then it is worse than I feared." She was pacing up and down, her hands fluttering about in the air and her fingers twiddling about – a clear display of her restlessness.

* * *

It was several days after that incident and Alice had seen even less of Mirana in those days than she had since the incident with the Back Knight. The guards were constantly hard at work, almost never resting and when not patrolling or keeping watch, they were training.

Mirana had also woken her chess-soldiers, stationing them throughout Underland and around Marmoreal, but especially at the border between Underland and the Outlands. A curfew had been set and larger groups of soldiers now patrolled every town at night.

The Red Queen's soldiers had also been given to provide help and Iracebeth herself was often seen at the barracks or with her sister and if not there, then she seemed to be recruiting new soldiers or getting Time to do her a few favours.

The queens have also seemed to be training a group of mages in her spare time and though they didn't make it obvious, Alice knew Mirana had asked Terram and Chessur to keep an eye on her. She was hardly ever alone anymore and a seemingly random guard always offered to chaperone her and Helen whenever they left the castle.

This apparent paranoia that had suddenly befallen Underland's ruler and her sister couldn't simply be just that. There was something else there, something deeper and Alice was determined to find out what it is. Her study into the members of the royal family had not gone as planned.

Apparently, all information recorded about the sisters' cousin had been wiped from the history books and no one spare Tarrant would answer her when she brought up the matter. What she was able to gather from everything however, is that the woman is a sorceress – a powerful one – and that she is dangerous.

Alice was also willing to bet that it's the same person from her dreams. The same dream that had caused Mirana's apparent paranoia. She knew she wasn't going to get anymore answers this way so she devised a plan. All that was left to do now was to execute it. Of course, planning has never been her strong suit.

Her plan was stupid, ridiculous and probably incompetent enough that it would get her caught if she so much as wiggled her fingers the wrong way. But then again, when you're seemingly playing against a criminal mastermind, is there really any better plan than that?

She sneaked out that night, managing to evade the guards through sheer luck because it couldn't have been anything else. She was nearly caught on multiple occasions, yet somehow managed to get past them even when they were staring straight at her.

Had she not been so relieved that she succeeded, she may have wondered about that more, but because her escapes all usually included some sort of pursuit she had taken her non-discovery as a good sign and didn't dwell much further on the matter, but in hindsight, she should have.

* * *

"All right... The castle should be around here somewhere..." She had used what she'd seen in her dream to find her way to the Black Army's castle in the Outlands, and crossing the border had seemed near impossible. Had that fight not broken out, Alice doubted she would have been able to sneak past her mother's soldiers.

It all seemed a bit too coincidental for her now though. She had expected to run into at least some sort of opposition by now, but nothing. She stopped behind a boulder n the tree-line, having caught sight of the castle. It wasn't too far away. "One would think someone who can do so much damage would have a better defence set up."

Alice muttered to herself, watching the few guards that were stationed in front of the castle moving in and out of sight. There was around a 155 second time frame in which both guards were blind-sighted and too far to keep anyone from crossing the bridge.

From what she could see, there were two more guards stationed by the gate at the end of the bridge, but they seem to be fast asleep. She waited a little while longer before taking her chance; rushing in passed the snoring guards and then quickly hiding in the shadows of a severely neglected courtyard.

She studied her surroundings carefully, noting every entrance and possible exit. If she was going to get out of here any time soon, she might as well know how to do it. "You can stop right there." She stiffened at the sound of the amused voice and turned around to see the Black Knight.

His smirk reminded her greatly of Ilosovic Stayne, the former Red Knave. It was unsettling. "You didn't honestly think we didn't notice you crossing the border, did you?" "I knew it was too convenient," Alice cursed herself silently. A chill suddenly ran down her spine and when she looked around her, she realized with a start that she was surrounded.

"Welcome to the Blackgate Tower. Our Mistress has a proposition for you. Come, it is never a good idea to keep her waiting."

* * *

"Alice, time to get u-" Helen felt the words fade away when she opened the door to her stepdaughter's rooms only to find them completely empty.

She tried not to panic as she searched, looking for anything that might give her a hint of what was going on. She was about to give up when something caught her attention.

A piece of paper was sticking out from beneath the bed, as though someone had tried hiding it, but been in too much of a hurry to make sure it was done properly.

She walked over and picked it up, skimming through the content. Her eyes widened with every word and suddenly she paled, realization hitting her full force.

With speed that belied her age, she fled Alice's rooms in search of the queen. If anyone that cared enough about Alice could make sense of this, it was Mirana.

Helen could only hope she wasn't too late.

* * *

They chained her hands and took her to the throne room. Had it not been for her unfortunate position, she might of laughed at some of the guards. They were constantly bickering, never seeming able to agree or be able to compromise about anything.

They hit each other over the head with anything within reach and beat each other until they were bloody. It was barbaric, but it was somehow so dreadfully amusing to find that the very killers who had been plunging Underland into chaos – who seemed so well organized and strategically adaptable – couldn't get along in the slightest.

They seemed to fight over every little thing.

Who would take the prisoner to the Mistress, who gets this chair, who is allowed to lean against the wall, who can speak to the Black Knight, who can this, who can that... In a way, they reminded her of the Tweedles. Always bickering. It was a strangely comforting discovery.

The Throne room was as she remembered seeing it in her dream. Barely lit with multiple shadows cast over the hall. There was one place however that seemed almost to have been swallowed by a void. The throne, though made of stone, was as black as night and the shadows that fell over it seemed just as intimidating.

Alice wouldn't even have known that anyone was sitting there if it wasn't for the glowing yellow eyes of the snake slithering down its Mistress' shoulder and over her blood red gown. Green eyes stared intently at her from the silent form on the throne, but Alice could see her lips upturned into a smirk.

She'd planned this.

Somehow, she had known Alice would come and she had prepared for it. Tarrant's warnings of her being dangerous and so subtly cunning meant little now that she had fallen into the trap. Had she left things to her mother, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

But then again, if they had wanted to kill her, they could have done so already. No. The Black Knight had mentioned a proposition. This woman believes that Alice is of some importance. But what importance would that be? No one knows of her being the White Queen's daughter, so it can't be that.

Perhaps her position as Champion, then? Yes, that is more likely. In her dream, the Black Knight had had the Vorpal Sword and currently – unless the White Queen should decide otherwise – the sword belongs to Alice.

"Welcome, my dear. I do hope Shane wasn't too rough with you." "What do you want with me?" "Right down to the point, then? I like that, but it isn't very subtle. Tell me Alice, do you know who I am?" The woman had risen from her throne and had stepped forward, her appearance illuminated by the low lighting of the torches.

Brown hair was tied back into a long braid and a golden circlet rested around her forehead. Those piercing green eyes continued to stare at her intently and the blood red lips that were still upturned into a smirk seemed deadly. Her gown was indeed a deep red, but not like blood, Alice realized.

It was a deep wine red – but it is covered in blood. The snake slithered on the ground by its Mistress, yellow eyes boring into Alice, daring her to make a move. "You're a sorceress. Banished to the Outlands. Daughter of Thanatos, brother to the previous king of Underland. You and Mirana duelled for the crown. You lost."

She knew her tone was daring, the sheer nerve of what she was saying would have sent anyone into flying into a blind rage, but this woman seemed to take it in stride, even finding it amusing to some extent. "My father was first in line for the throne, for not only was he firstborn, he had magic.

But when the time came and he proved himself by going on a quest that would have broken any normal man, my father was banished instead of welcomed. Naturally, when I was born it was declared that I would be the next ruler, but then my uncle married and I suddenly found myself with a younger cousin.

That was fine. She posed no threat to me. But then her sister was born – and with power my father believed would one day rival my own. Do you know what he did Alice, to ensure I would be queen?" She shook her head, not wanting to draw the sorceress' ire by not responding.

Especially with her snake so close by.

"He cursed them. A magic so old it had long been forgotten. Iracebeth would never have been queen, for even the slightest betrayal by dear Mirana would have resulted in the curse taking effect. It would have taken hold of Mirana as well had she not gone and made her little vow all those years ago.

Ah well, no use crying over something that made me more powerful." Her smirk seemed to nearly split her face in half, her eyes holding a vengeful madness. "Driving them apart divided Underland and ensured that I would be able to built my army and grow stronger while they coward from one another, each fighting a losing battle.

But then... Then my dear, you came along and upset my plans. It shouldn't have been possible, but you defeated the Jabberwocky and ended the feud between my cousins. I had tried to save some time by having Ilosovic trick Mirana into banishing him and Iracebeth here to the Outlands and have him bring her to me, but in an unexpected moment of clarity, Iracebeth realized what was going on.

I realized your meddling had somewhat broken the curse, but what she had been made into could only be undone by her own doing. Then she sought out the Chronosphere. I had planned to intercept her, but you got to it first. This of course resulted in Time chasing after you, leaving me free to raid his castle.

Thank you for that, by the way. I had a lovely time stealing information to strengthen my army while Time's little midgets fretted over the Great Clock. I won't deny it, I had hoped Time would get rid of you, but then I realized how useful you could be. Not only are you Mirana's trusted little Champion, but you hold the trust of all the Underlandians.

And now, at last, for my proposition: Leave Mirana and join me. You need only give me the Vorpal Sword." "And if I don't?" Alice asked raising an eyebrow. The woman must either be incredibly fond of her own voice or had ulterior motives to telling Alice all of this.

No evil mastermind just hands out information unless they had time to kill. Uh, not literally, of course. The grin that she sent Alice was downright predatory. "Then you can join her previous champion, in chains."

Alice turned at the sound of metal scraping against the floor and her eyes widened when she saw the last person she expected to see being held by two of the woman's guards. Charles Kingsleigh stood staring back at his daughter, unable to believe his eyes. "Alice?"

* * *

 **This felt a bit rushed, but that is to be expected, time is catching up with me. Pun both unintended and intended. Was this a bit better than the last chapter? Anyway, please review or PM and tell me what you think, I could use both criticism and ideas. Thanks.**

– **L-L**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

 **}-{**

" _ **Then you can join her previous champion, in chains."**_

 _ **Alice turned at the sound of metal scraping against the floor and her eyes widened when she saw the last person she expected to see being held by two of the woman's guards. Charles Kingsleigh stood staring back at his daughter, unable to believe his eyes.**_

" _ **Alice?"**_

 **}-{**

"Alice?" "Oh, so you two know each other." The woman began walking over to Charles, her heels clicking on the floor as the snake slithered after her. Alice couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was too stunned. Her father is alive? Charles remained silent, not wanting to tell this woman that Alice is his daughter.

That would give her too much information.

"Ah, yes, of course. You're both from Overland and both Champions to 'itlle Miwana. But unlike you, I'm sure our dear Alice will be far more reasonable. After all, did my miserable cousin not send the poor girl to fight the Jabberwocky as one would send a lamb to its slaughter?"

Neither Champion said anything, but Alice found herself considering the sorceress' words for some bizarre reason. It is true, Mirana had sent her to fight the Jabberwocky without her having a hint of training. Had it not been for the Vorpal Sword, she would have likely died.

"Mirana had sent you through the seas of Time, and what happened? Because of her choices, both you and Underland nearly came to an end." The sorceress continued and again, Alice found herself oddly agreeing. Everything had almost come to an end. "Don't listen to her Alice! She can use her magic to-"

The sorceress glared at Charles and with a wave of her hand, his mouth sealed shut. "Mirana has treated you only as a pawn. Join me, Alice." The woman continued, now moving in circles around the dazed Champion. "Join me and you will be honoured as you should have been.

Join me and you will never fight on your own again." Alice felt as though she was falling asleep, but she knew she was awake. "Join me and you can show Mirana your true strength. Join me, and gain the power that should rightfully be yours." She was in a trance, one that seemed unbreakable at this point.

"All you have to do, is give me the Vorpal Sword." Despite the very far-away-sounding protests in the back of her mind, Alice found herself reaching for the Vorpal Blade, her hands moving on their own accord. She wouldn't be lied to anymore... She would have allies that won't betray her...

No compendiums will be able to determine her future... She'll be able to be with her father again... Everything will go back to the way it was supposed to be... "Yes, Alice. Give me the sword." As the sorceress spoke her snake hissed by her side.

* * *

" _My lady!"_ _"Your_ _Majesty!"_

Mirana ignored the cries of her attendants as she rushed down the halls to her private parlour, flinging open the doors with a bit more force than was probably necessary. Helen was behind her, her expression one of confusion and worry. The queen ignored her for the moment however and continued deeper into the room.

Tarrant and Chessur came rushing in a moment after, their eyes widening when she flung open a hidden cabinet. "Highness!" Tarrant exclaimed in shock, rushing forward. "Calm yourself!" Her reaction was instantaneous, "Alice has crossed the border to find Elena and you tell me to _calm myself_!"

Tarrant backed up, wide eyed and startled by the queen's sudden outburst. "I don't suppose you plan on telling our dear Hatter, Majesty?" Chessur questioned from his place in the air, seemingly not at all surprised. At once Tarrant looked to the White Queen, confused.

She paused, considering, then sighed. "Alice is my daughter." "Well that- what? Oh..." Tarrant fell back into a chair, suddenly pallor than usual. Mirana turned back to the cabinet and it was then that Helen was able to get a glimpse of what lay inside. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"I thought you vowed never to harm a living creature..." It seemed quite contradicting then to have a cabinet containing armour, swords and daggers and other various weapons – unless this vow of hers isn't as binding as everyone seems to believe. The riding gear however, seems more appropriate.

"I did." The queen answered simply, removing several pieces of riding gear as well as riding clothes – and a sword. "Tarrant, are you coming?" "Certainly!" He was on his feet in an instant, eyes determined and jaw set; his former shock already gone. "Then take this."

Mirana immediately handed him the blade she'd extracted, removing another one for herself only a moment after. "Chessur, I need you to get Iracebeth. If I am to cross the border, I cannot leave Marmoreal undefended." The Cheshire Cat nodded in disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Tarrant, rally a party to accompany us. Elena will no doubt have many obstacles awaiting us." The Hatter did not argue and immediately left to do as instructed. And once that was out of the way Mirana turned and entered the antechamber in order to change, Helen standing dumbfounded in the middle of the parlour unbelieving of the chaos around her.

* * *

" _Yes, Alice. Give me the sword." As the sorceress spoke her snake hissed by her side._

She felt as though she were underwater, except without any control of her movements. She found her eyes locked onto the piercing ones of the gilded serpent, unable to tear her gaze away from the red and black that swirled like a void of fire in her mind.

"So close..." The sorceress's eyes were firmly on the shimmering blade, an expression akin to grave hunger flashing across he features. Behind her, the Black Knight wore a similar expression. Alice allowed the blade to rest at eye level, hilt held firmly above her head as she prepared to plunge it into the marble floor.

" _Yes_ -s-s..." The blonde girl stopped, bewildered by the reflection she caught in the shimmering blade. It was her and yet it was not. It couldn't be. The girl she saw there had no Muchness, no honour, no moral... She looked a starved animal. Images suddenly flashed through her mind:

Those of her father and Helen and her sister, those of Underland and those of her past... Then a memory long forgotten pushed itself into the forefront of her thoughts, a scene she had not seen even within her dreams.

 _"Shhh, it's all right my flower. I'm here, Mommy's here..." A voice carried over to her and the next she knew a shadow fell across her cradle. Arms reached down and the distinguishing features of a familiar face came into view. White-blonde hair framed concerned brown eyes as she was gently lifted from her cold nest._

 _She was exposed to the cool night air for only a moment before it vanished and warmth enveloped her, arms encircling her and the beating of a worried heart clear against her ears. A second later a melody followed, one that put her mind at ease and her fears to rest._

 _"Hush my darlin', rest my dear,_

 _Safe thou be, here with me,_

 _Close your eyes and rest your mind,_

 _For always near I shall be._

 _Hush mine child, miracle O mine,_

 _Underland watch over thee..._

 _Through deepest troubles,_

 _Through greatest strife,_

 _Fear not, O child of mine._

 _Hush my darlin', rest my dear,_

 _Calm your heart and set aside your fear._

 _O hush mine child, O miracle of mine,_

 _Fate guide thee and light thy way,_

 _So you may never stray..._

 _O Underland, hear my prayer,_

 _Watch over this child of mine..._

 _Guard her path from pain and strife,_

 _Give her hope and give her care._

 _Hush my darlin', rest my dear,_

 _Sleep in peace away from fear._

 _Rest in ease and rest til' morn,_

 _Safe be thee from the oaths I've sworn..._

 _Hush mine child, O miracle of mine,_

 _Slumber in tranquillity til' you learn to fly..."_

 _The words slowly fell away, but the love did not. Eyes heavy and mind weary, sleep claimed her and the moonlit night disappeared._

Alice stared at the sword, certain the blade had pulled her from her own body and had thrust her thousands of miles away. But she could feel the hilt in her hands, the silvery metal shining in front of her in crystal clarity. It was like breaking the crest of a wild sea that had attempted to drown her.

Again she was of her right mind and again she could feel her hands and control her actions. She looked past the shimmering sword to the sorceress on the other side and behind her, Charles Kinglseigh – the man who stole the heart of a queen. He caught her eye and stared, searching.

Then he nodded and bowed his head, resigned to a fate he knew not. She knew that this was the turning point. This was the high point of her newest adventure. The all consuming, anxiety inspiring moment of truth.

But what must she choose?

* * *

 **Cliff-hanger! Sorry for taking so long, I couldn't find any inspiration for this chapter, but no excuse under the fiery sun will pardon my tardiness. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter – despite it being so short. PM, review, favourite, follow, read and leave, do as you will. Until next time.**

 **Lyrical-Light**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

 _Hey, everyone. I'm glad to hear that you all enjoyed the previous chapter and I'm sending out a big "thank you" to the reader who helped me with it – you know who you are – and I'm happy to hear that it lived up to your expectations. I hope you all keep reading and thank you very much for your support, I know that quite a few of these chapters were rather dull, but hopefully the next few will make up for it. So without further a due:_

* * *

 **Chapter 12:**

 **}-{**

 _ **She looked past the shimmering sword to the sorceress on the other side and behind her, Charles Kinglseigh – the man who stole the heart of a queen. He caught her eye and stared, searching. Then he nodded and bowed his head, resigned to a fate he knew not.**_

 _ **She knew that this was the turning point. This was the high point of her newest adventure. The all consuming, anxiety inspiring moment of truth.**_

 _ **But what must she choose?**_

 **}-{**

"You're so close..." Elena's voice seemed to vibrate through Alice's ears and the low hiss of the Black Knight was like a thunder clap in the silence of her mind. "Give her the sword..."

– " _Remember... The Vorpal Sword knows what it wants." –_

Her eyes narrowed and it seemed as though a flame sparked to life once again within her. "You want the Vorpal Sword..." Her voice was low, barely audible.

– " _All you have to do, is hold on to it." –_

She raised her hands higher, appearing to prepare to make the final strike and plunge the weapon once forged for her mother into the black stone of Elena's palace.

– " _Trust the Blade and it will guide your hand." –_

"Well. I'm afraid that it's not mine to give." Before her words could be registered, Alice brought the blade down and with a sickening hiss, purple blood seeped out from the now wriggling body of the fearsome snake.

– " _The Sword was forged to defend Underland. It shall not fail its purpose." –_

The eyes dulled and soon the body stilled – no head had grown back to replace the last.

Dead silence fell over the chamber.

The guards did not dare flinch, waiting for the serpent to again continue its wreathing and then attack the petulant girl who had ventured into their lands. But nothing happened. Shane stared blankly at the beheaded beast, unbelieving of the sight before him.

Even Elena seemed unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

The Vorpal Sword gleamed in Alice's hands despite the blood dripping from its edge and the white stones seemed to hold a blue glow to them. "The Sword was forged to defend Underland. It shall not fail its purpose." Alice echoed the words Absolem had told her so long ago, her eyes alight with the fire in her soul.

* * *

They were racing towards the border as fast as their horses could carry them, Chessur floating through the air in a rushing wind of blue and green and grey. Up ahead, perhaps a few leagues away, lay the crossing point between Underland and the border of the Outlands.

The White Queen's soldiers – knight, rook, bishop and pawn – every last one she could spare, stood just within their borders, ready and prepared to march to battle if the need arises. And Mirana didn't doubt that it would. "So um, just out of curiosity, Highness, do we have – oh, say – a plan?" Tarrant asked calmly, despite his green eyes being dark with the knowledge of the battle to come.

Mirana did not falter. "Cross the border, infiltrate the Outlands, get past Elena's guards, get to the dungeons and free Alice – and any other Underlandian we may find." "In other words, there is no plan." Helen summarized with a grimace, but kept riding, a dagger strapped to her side.

"I always think best on my feet." The queen answered with a half-smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "In that case, we may have a problem." Tarrant declared. "And that would be?" Chessur questioned with a knowing grin. "Well, I hate to tell you this Majesty, but you're currently on a horse."

Mirana couldn't help it. She laughed.

Perhaps it was because of the anxiety. Perhaps it was because of how simple and completely ridiculous Tarrant's observation had been. Perhaps it was because her heart was pounding in her throat. Perhaps it is because she was afraid. Whatever the reason, it distracted her wild mind for a moment and she was thankful for it.

* * *

"She... She has magic!" Shane exclaimed at last, bringing up his sword to defend his liege lady against anything that may bring her harm. The guards all took a step back, wary of the platinum-blonde with the silver sword of ivory. Elena was still stunned, for a moment completely unresponsive.

Charles too could do little more than stare at his daughter in wonder, wondering when the little girl whom had so constantly suffered from nightmares had turned into such a brave and fearless warrior. The fire in her eyes is one he had only seen once before, on a different woman with a heart that belonged to her people.

His little Alice has truly become a Champion.

"Seize her!" Elena cried when she finally regained the use of her voice. Her face was a mixture of confusion, disbelief and fear. There is another magical in Underland who also happens to be from the Abovelands – and she has just broken through Elena's enchantments and done what was supposed to be the impossible.

Who is this Alice in truth?

And more importantly: did Mirana know of her magic? For if so, Elena's trap might just have been reversed upon herself. Underland has a secret weapon – a magical being she had not taken into consideration with her careful planning – and this one single girl, could very well become her undoing...

* * *

"Wilkins! WILKINS!" "Yes, my lord?" "Oh, there you are. Wilkins, you will accompany Iracebeth to Marmoreal to ensure her safety. It seems a war is breaking out in Underland and the White Queen and company have ridden out to meet it." "War! Goodness gracious, whomever against?"

"Agh, some sorceress or another. Lana. Elsa. Layna. Ellen. Lena. Whatever her name is." Time waved his hand impatiently. "Elena!" Wilkins gasped, his gears springing and whistles whistling. "Yes that's the one. Now hurry up, Wilkins. There's no me to waste."

"Of course, Sir." The little butler hurried off and Time sighed, running a hand over his mechanical neck. "Another war..." He murmured, slowly making his way to the Room of the Living. "In war, there is never enough of me..." He whispered idly, walking through the rows of pocket watches hanging from the ceiling.

Then he came to a standstill in front of a watch he had seen many times before, but which he had never truly taken to heart. Until now. "Ali of Marmoreal. What is it about you, hmm?" It was a bit dusty, he realized, and blew the dust away. Then found himself rooted to the spot.

The usual comforting tick-tick-tick-tick of the pocket watches only worsened his condition when the icy cold came slinking down his back, dread leading the chase with a ferocity unlike anything Time has ever felt before. Well, perhaps not as unlike the moment he believed Underland would meet its end, but...

He stormed out near immediately and all but ran to the Hall of Records. He stumbled and tripped, but he seemed a man on a mission and nothing would stop him. He nearly fell on the podium that held the single Book of Time and he immediately recited the name he had known for over twenty years: "Ali of Marmoreal."

But the book, showed nothing.

Wetting his dried lips he uttered the words he deeply hoped were false, but this time, the book had dared to respond. Images and letters of gold filled the empty pages, spiralling and twirling through and over one another in a race to reveal the truth to Time.

"Not, _Ali_ of Marmoreal." Time whispered. " _Alice_. Alice _Kingsley_. The Yellow haired kindergartener, who nearly ended all of Time ... is Underlandian." If he were not so startled or thirsting for the knowledge of how this came to be, his legs may have given out beneath him, but luckily, none such event occurred.

"Alice Kingsleigh of Marmoreal, born on Bamboozle Day in the halls of the White Queen's Palace, Champion of Underland, Slayer of the Jabberwocky, Time Befuddler, is... Oh my..." This time his legs did give out and Time found himself sitting on the floor, a blank expression on his face.

"...the daughter of Former Champion, Slayer of Thanatos, Abovelander Charles Kingsleigh ... a-and the White Queen ... Mirana of Marmoreal, daughter of King Oleron and Queen Elsemere of Underland."

* * *

"There. No runnin' for you now, hey?" The guard chuckled as he walked away, keys jingling at his side. Alice glared at him from between the bars while Charles slumped back against the wall in his adjacent cell. After a few moments Alice too sat down – with her back against the farthest wall

"I don't suppose that this is all part of some elaborate plan to stop Elena and free all the prisoners, is it?" Charles asked with a half smile, but his eyes were void of hope. Suddenly Alice felt a great rage overcome her and she turned to her father with an intense glare.

"Sixteen years. For sixteen years you've been missing. For sixteen years we thought you were dead. Sixteen years! But here you are! Alive! And we suffered for it!" Guilt flashed through his eyes, but he met her gaze steadily.

"I tried getting out of here. Tried to alert Mirana's spies. I even tried bargaining with Elena, but she would not free me. Alice, I promise you: not a day has gone by that I have not thought of you girls and your mother."

His eyes shown such honesty and his face such sincerity that Alice's anger melted away into the bone crushing sorrow she had felt before. She bowed her head so that he wouldn't see her tears and then, with a voice near inaudible, she asked a questioning that would decide their future. "Which one?"

"I'm sorry?" "You said you missed us and mother." Alice looked up. "But you didn't say who it is that you missed. Your wife. Or the White Queen."

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait, I struggled a bit with this chapter. Any ideas for the next one?**

 **PS: For those of you whom don't remember, I made Alice 17 during her "first" visit (The** _ **Alice in Wonderland 2010**_ **by** _ **Tim Burton,**_ **movie), making her around 22 at the moment.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

– **L.L.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note**

 **Please forgive the hasty pace of this chapter. I'm a bit stuck in a plot-hole with this bit and possibly will remain stuck until I manage to recall what exactly it is that I had had planned.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

 **}-{**

 _ **His eyes showed such honesty and his face such sincerity that Alice's anger melted away into the bone crushing sorrow she had felt before. She bowed her head so that he wouldn't see her tears and then, with a voice near inaudible, she asked a questioning that would decide their future.**_

" _ **Which one?"**_

" _ **I'm sorry?"**_

" _ **You said you missed us and mother." Alice looked up.**_

" _ **But you didn't say who it is that you missed.**_

 _ **Your wife.**_

 _ **Or the White Queen."**_

 **}-{**

"Try to stay down. Elena's guards may not be the brightest, but they do tend to be brilliant scouts." "That's rather contradicting." Helen muttered as she lowered herself behind the bushes. "Most things are." Tarrant added, creeping slowly through the trees. "How are we going to get past them?"

"The same way we're getting to Alice." Mirana answered vaguely and then, much to everyone's surprise, pushed past Tarrant and Chessur and weaved her way through the trees and straight towards the towering palace and its gates.

* * *

"The Mages are ready, Ma'am." A guard reported, saluting. "Bwing them to me." He nodded and left and moments later the doors opened to allow entrance for the Mages of Marmoreal. Iracebeth did not beat around the bush. "My sister has set out fow the Outlands in prepawation for the next war as well as the wetrieval of hew Champion.

As such, the defence of Undewland and Marmoweal has been left in your hands. You awe the first and last line of defence. Be weady. The battle has begun." "Yes, my lady."

* * *

"What?" "I know the truth, so you can stop pretending!" Alice snapped, her temper short with the realization that her father has been alive all this time – and he hadn't tried his best to get home, because if he had, he would have achieved it.

"The truth?" He wasn't entirely sure what she meant, though he had a sneaking suspicion. She certainly wasn't the little spirited girl he remembers. Now she's a spirited fiery tempered young woman. And her anger seems to be directed at him.

"The truth about me. I know Mirana's my real mother." She hissed, eyes narrowed. Charles can only be thankful that she understands the need for discretion in this case considering she'd lowered her tone considerably when she'd dragged forth this little matter about her heritage.

It wouldn't due if one of Elena's guards overheard and reported back to her. The sorceress would definitely try to use Alice as leverage then. "I see..." "You see? You see?! All these years you've been alive, held captive by some crazed sorceress while your family were forced to think – and _accept_ – the fact that you're dead!

Margret and I used to wait up every night, watching the door and imagining you walking through as you always did, but you know what? That never happened! Margret is married now to a lousy husband who cheats on her and whom I've had to hit over the head more than once.

She has two sons whom will never meet their grandfather and Mother hasn't been the same since you disappeared. She's mourned you for years and now that she's finally been able to move past that, I'm left to find out that the man I looked up to more than anyone else, has been alive all this time..."

Her anger had bled into tears that she had yet to notice. She was deeply hurt; hurt to the point that she feared her heart may split open from agony and years' worth of depression and sadness would return full force and consume her, crushing her under its weight as it had so long ago.

What she felt at the moment could not be put into words. It was worse than her anger at Mirana for her deception. Worse than her deep dislike of Hamish and his snobby wife and mother. Worse than the fear she'd felt when facing off against the Jabberwocky.

Worse than watching the Red Queen behead her followers. Worse than the thought of being thrown of the Wonder and then drowning... There were no words; nothing to describe what she felt.

Charles felt much the same. While imprisoned, all he had thought about was his family and how he would one day get back to them and put Elena and every horror he had suffered in Underworld behind them so that he would be able to devote himself to being a father and husband and a man with a vision.

"I never meant to put any of you through so much misery. Every day – every single day – for the last sixteen years I've thought of nothing else but you, your sister and yes, _both,_ of your mothers. Every day in this dungeon had been a nightmare but it was the thought of all of you that kept me going."

He turned her head and wiped away her tears. "Alice, without my family, Elena would have broken me a long time ago."

* * *

"Hey, you! Stop!" "Come back here!"

"Was this really wise?" Helen demanded, wide eyed as she followed after the Hatter and the White Queen. They were running, but not because they were being chased. Chessur was leading the guards away while they snuck around the flank, but they had to be quick or they would be seen.

"No, but it worked, didn't it?" Mirana shot back before leaping over the ruins of a wall before falling into a crouch behind it – all just in time for the patrolling guard to miss her.

"Huh! I knew it! You still remember every move we taught you!" Tarrant cheered, a grin so large appearing on his face that Helen feared his head would split. They were all hidden in the partially destroyed alcove, buying their time until the guards were far enough for them to move again.

"I doubt your council would fancy such things." Chessur announced, reappearing in front of them. He'd lead the guards far enough away, now they had to sneak in. "As much as I'd like to discuss this with you, we don't have much time before the guards realize they were chasing an illusion."

"There's a servant's entrance not too far from here, if I recall correctly. We can use it to the throne room." Tarrant whispered, carefully watching as the patrols passed them by without even so much as a glance in their direction. Mirana's impulsion spell was working, it would seem.

"Ah, the one leading through the tunnels." "Quite right, Ches." "Well in that case, follow me." No one argued and so the Cheshire was left again with the role of guide – only this time, the lives of his companions depended on it.

They stayed close to the walls, keeping to the shadows and freezing in place to appear as statues whenever a guard came past – each one believing falsely that the hall was devoid of other life because of the White Queen's Impulse Spell. "Stop!" Tarrant whisper-shouted, freezing in place.

The others followed his lead, all holding their breath as two guard came down the corridor. "Wait, did ye hear that?" "Hear what?" "Almost like somebody yelling 'stop'." They looked around, coming to stand just in front of the three "statues" and Mirana momentarily feared that they had been caught, but the glazed eyes o the guards passed right over them.

"Nay, there be nothing." "But I heard something'!" "Probably just rats, ye idiot. C'mon, and stop wasting me time." The second guard grabbed the arm of the first and tugged him down the corridor. It was only after they had been out of sight for some time that they dared breath again.

Chessur reappeared as well, watching the guards with a deep frown. "The guards are passing through the halls more frequently." "Which means we're close to the throne room." Mirana nodded, worried as well. "Ches, will you go check an' make sure our path is clear? We don't want to run into Elena before we'd gotten to Alice."

"I'll see what I can do." With that the Cheshire disappeared once more and the Hatter, Queen and Helen were left cautiously tip-toeing down the corridor, hearts pounding in their ears.

* * *

The shuffling of feet and the sound of iron scraping against stone forced Alice and Charles' attention away from their discussion. Someone was coming down into the dungeons. They scooted away from one another and Alice quickly dried her remaining tears, setting her face into the deepest and fiercest scowl she could muster.

Heels clicked steadily down the hall, followed by the footsteps of two others. The sound of a cracking whip could easily be heard in the silence, followed by the loud shouts of Elena's guardsmen. "Faster ye midgets!" Someone was being taken out of their cell and that could only mean one thing...

Charles swallowed and muttered a silent prayer. Those poor people. "Well-well-well, enjoying one another's company then?" Elena's taunting voice filled the dungeon as she stopped before their cell. Her eyes looked even more sinister in the firelight and Alice had to restrain the urge to lunge at the Sorceress.

Neither champion answered her. "Was poor cooperation one of the oaths you swore because it is quite unbefitting. Here I am to offer you freedom for a bit of information, yet you would rather remain silent and stay in this cell. Now I'm certain that's not what other Abovelanders would do."

"How would you know, witch? You're not from the Above World." Alice challenged, her tone icy. "No. But you are. And yet..." Elena grabbed Alice by the neck, pulling her against the bars of the cell and Charles had to fight himself not to intervene. If he did, Alice would only be put in more danger.

"And yet the blood of an Underlandian flows through your veins. Don't you find that interesting?" She whispered, her grip like iron. "I don't know what you're talking about." Alice glared with all the might she could muster, though it was rather difficult considering the Sorceress was behind her.

"Oh, but I think you do. I think you know _exactly_ , what I mean." Alice realized that Elena was trying to enchant her again and immediately shielded her mind against the Sorceress' words. And then she pulled forward and knocked her head backwards against the bars, crushing Elena's hand.

"Why you little...!" Elena shrieked, pulling her hand back on instinct and Alice quickly moved away from the bars now that she was released. "I told you before. You won't win." "We'll see about that. Colin!" A large man came stomping over to the cell, but Alice wasn't certain whether it even was a man.

The thing looked and acted more like an oversized gorilla than a human being. "Our guests are in need of a bit of fresh air. Why don't you take them to the Red Room so that they may have a change of scenery?" Colin grew what Alice could only all a vindictive smirk and she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

She didn't like the way the gorilla-man was smiling. Not one bit. "It be me pleasure, Mistress!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**

 **WARNING:** **The faint** **of heart should skip this chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14:**

 **}-{**

" _ **Our guests are in need of a bit of fresh air. Why don't you take them to the Red Room so that they may have a change of scenery?" Colin grew what Alice could only call a vindictive smirk and she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She didn't like the way the gorilla-man was smiling. Not one bit.**_

" _ **Be me pleasure, Mistress!"**_

 **}-{**

As fate would have it, Alice was right.

She wishes she _didn't_ know what the Red Room is.

The Gorilla-Man had dragged both her and her father out of their cell by the chains fastened to the cuffs on their arms, laughing to himself as they were forced through the dirt on the floor behind him. They had travelled to the very end of the Dungeon Hall to a rusty iron door with spiked bars where the window should have been.

Before the door was a woman who was dressed like an executioner with ferocious scars running down the left side of her face and a stump for a right arm. The scowl she gave them seemed to have been permanently burnt onto her face, but there was a twisted glee in her eyes that left Alice breathless with fear.

The bald woman pushed open the door and the Gorilla dragged them inside. There were no windows, only a small, barred, circular hole that would allow for a bit of sunshine and a bit of rain to seep through, on the centre of the roof. Other than that, the walls were lined with torches and the shadows they cast seemed to constantly grow and shrink in size.

The room itself was damp and Alice was certain it would have still been, even without the floor being covered in a layer of filthy water.

It smelled of rot and metal.

To the sides were rusted iron tables with all manners of tools spread across them. And Alice had jumped after hearing something crack only to realize with a shiver that an old bone had broken beneath her feet – and that the floor was covered in them. But worst of all were the people chained by their wrists as they hung from the ceiling at the far end of the room.

Blood flowed down their arms and legs in tiny streams, pooling on the ground below their feet. It was then that Alice realized with a start that the water layering the floor wasn't just filthy because of dirt – she was standing in a giant pool of thinning blood.

* * *

"Ransack the archives if you must, I must have that girl's information!" "But Mistress, we've searched everywhere-" "Then search _again_!" Elena lashed out at the quivering guard, pinning him to the table by driving her dagger through his hand. "Ahhhh!" "I don't care how long it takes. Find that scroll!"

He nodded vehemently and the moment she released him he ran out of the dungeon entrance as though the Jabberwocky itself were chasing him. The Sorceress let out a shrill scream and knocked everything off the table before leaning over it, panting in suppressed frustration.

She dragged her hands down from the top of the table, her nails tearing through the wood in a merciless attack, but when the sound of ripping paper reached her ears, she stopped and opened her eyes. Glued to the tabletop was a map of the castle – or at least of what it had been.

Once, in a time before she'd laid siege to it and assassinated the keeper in his sleep.

The edges of the map were now torn, the script that had once been visible, now both faded and illegible. But she knows what it says. The words haunt even her sweetest nightmares.

 _When evil thinks to have won; the child of two worlds shall bring hope anew._

Elena's green eyes bore into the old map, her eyes fiery with her anger as she tore it from the table surface, ripping it apart. "None can stop the darkness." She hissed, and fire suddenly sprung from her hands, the flames licking at the remains of the map, slowly burning it away...

"Milady?"

She turned with a scowl on her face, prepared to barbeque whoever it was that had dared interrupt her. She stopped short upon seeing her son, Shane, and his idiotically befuddled expression. "What is it?" She demanded, voice sharp. He stood up straighter, looking over her shoulder.

"I believe you should pay a visit to the throne room, Mistress." "Whatever for? Has Mirana and her lackeys come to give themselves up?" "The blade is gone." "What?" She thought she'd heard incorrectly, but then it started to sink in – and Shane wouldn't lie to her; he values his life too much to do that.

"What!" She was out the door before he could get so much as a word out. A million thoughts rushed through her mind – thousands of possibilities clashing together one after the other, un-endlessly overturning each other and starting new another. She flung open the throne room doors and marched inside only to come to a stop.

Where the Vorpal Blade had been imbedded into the floor after Elena's command for Alice to be seized – unable to be moved by her or any of her soldiers – now remained only the scar on the ground where the blade had effortlessly cut through the stone and thereby having entombed itself.

Shane was right. The Vorpal Blade is gone.

Elena could do nothing more than stand there, frozen in place as all her carefully constructed plans came crashing down around her; her years of scheming burning down and becoming little more than worthless ash. This girl was ruining everything. This Alice. Alice...

"Check the dungeons! The cells, the Red Room, everything!" Her guards jumped to attention, rushing off to do as told, having been frightened by her sudden outburst. She turned back to look at the floor and anger flooded her. " _None_ can stop the darkness."

* * *

 **I know it's short... Please don't kill me for it! I need to decide how to ruin Elena's plan next...**

– **L.L.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

 **}-{**

 _ **Shane was right. The Vorpal Blade is gone.**_

 _ **Elena could do nothing more than stand there, frozen in place as all her carefully constructed plans came crashing down around her; her years of scheming burning down and becoming little more than worthless ash. This girl was ruining everything. This Alice. Alice...**_

" _ **Check the dungeons! The cells, the Red Room, everything!" Her guards jumped to attention, rushing off to do as told, having been frightened by her sudden outburst. She turned back to look at the floor and anger flooded her. "None can stop the darkness."**_

 **}-{**

Her ears were ringing, her blood burned in her veins and her heart seemed to be beating similarly to the war drums of Witzend before the battle that had claimed King Oleron's life. She forced herself to look passed the glassy eyes of the guardsman and tried to ignore the weight that slid off ivory and metal and onto the floor.

Now was not the time for lingering.

As with the previous dozen, helmet and armour and boots and shield and spear and braces and gauntlets – all were pushed away into the darkest corner, the dark sheen splattered across leaving no room for wonder of what had occurred. She pushed the thought away from her mind and trudged on, determined to keep going.

The halls were growing darker as the windows grew smaller and the torches grew further and further apart. As she walked, she noted that the floor was fading from marble to stone and that the little sunlight that actually managed to break through the cloud hanging over the castle was becoming scarce.

The iron gate screeched open and she slipped silently through. With a single motion of her hand the footsteps behind her silenced. Thunk-clink. Thunk-clink. She paused, readying herself as the guardsman came round the corner. Her hand started shaking and she realized that if she missed now, all their effort would have gone to waste.

She forced her hand to still, but caught a glimpse of herself in the blade. Her brown eyes had faded away into a soft violet – and suddenly, the sword's weight felt unbearable. She pulled her gaze away just in time to see a shadowed figure flash across her vision before a strangled gasp filled her hearing.

It was followed by clanking metal as the guardsman fell limply to the ground. She looked up and found the familiar tangled auburn mane and emerald eyes before her and a broken nod was torn from her as she moved past him, his grim expression telling her more than she had hoped to know.

Having regained her senses, she caught the second guard in a chokehold before he could give them away and dragged him into the shadows where a sharp-toothed grin and the shaking but fierce expression of the Kingsleigh matriarch was the last he saw of the living world.

They moved the two corpses out of sight, then headed back through the gate, rendezvousing in a darkened alcove of the dungeon. All eyes turned to the White Queen whom was peering around the corner, face clear of the turmoil roiling in her mind. After a moment's observation, she pulled her head back.

"Alright Chess, move down the hall and see if you can find her." With a nod the Cheshire vanished. "Tarrant, guard the rear and keep a look-out." "Aye, Majesty." He lifted his sword, fingers curled around the hilt. "Helen, come with me." The Kingsleigh woman obeyed instantly, dagger held in hand and eyes alert.

The two blondes walked with the feet of thieves as they passed the cells, searching for any sign of life. Most cells were empty. The ones that weren't, well ... they might as well have been. The dirt beneath their feet was stained with dark brown patches, the stone of some of the walls looked like peeling copper and everywhere the two women looked, their eyes were met with red rusted bars.

"Where could they all be?" Helen whispered, eyeing their surroundings with distrust. "The torture room, no doubt. Tarrant, do you still recall the way?" "Aye, that I do, but ah warn ye, it's nay place for any sane fellow." The orange gleam that fell over his green eyes was reinforced by his thick accent and the tightening of his grip.

The Hatter stood forward and led the way, anger brimming deep within him. If they took his Alice to that unsavoury place, then he was going to ensure that there would be hell to pay.

* * *

 _-Where are you, Alice?-_

Alice looked up sharply, ignoring her father's confused expression and the torturously outstretched argument between the Gorilla and the bald woman about what instrument to use to torture them with. She could have sworn she'd heard Mirana's voice, but the platinum blonde was nowhere in sight.

"What is it?" Charles whispered to her, eyeing their captors and the chains around their hands. "I thought I heard... Never mind. It must have been my imagination." He didn't seem to fully believe her, but Charles dropped the matter in favour of studying their opponents.

He's dealt with the brute before; briefly, but on various occasions. The other one however... He was almost certain she was one of Thanatos' minions. Perhaps it could even be one of the few that had evaded capture after the sorcerer's defeat. Now, if only he could remember what their weakness was...

* * *

Chessur moved through the air with ease, unseen by the eyes of man and woman and beast. In his vapour form, he entered beneath the door of the next room, checking its accessibility while doing so. The more guarded the room, the more treasured the content.

He slipped in and had a look around, catching sight of disarray and little more. The room seemed to be used to house maps and books and the occasional weapon. A table to the side had been swept clean, a torn page visible on its surface with shreds and ash visible on the floor.

"Elena must have been in quite the fury..." He floated about, seeing if he could spy anything else of interest. Although finding Alice is his priority, they might be able to gain an advantage if Chessur could uncover some of Elena's plots. It would certainly make things easier.

"My, my, what's this?" His eyes scanned the disregarded scroll that had rolled beneath the weapons' rack, tail curling and uncurling from around a spear. He swept up the parchment with one paw and caused it to vanish, drifting over to the next thing that caught his eye.

* * *

Elena sat on her throne, hands gripping at the armrests in a blind fury. Behind her lay five guards – all with severed heads. Each had failed her.

 _Failed_ to bring her the information she'd desired.

 _Failed_ to track down one measly scroll...

 _Failed_ in retrieving the one object that can be used to defeat her...

 _Failed_ to outwit one stupid girl...

 _Failed_ to realize her accursed cousin was within their very walls!

Her eyes glowed in the dark, her magic raging beneath her skin. Her chest was heaving with the effort it had taken to reign her temper back in. Her hair had gained black streaks and her neck was covered in what looked like green vanes running up her throat.

Her mouth was downturned into a snarl, her teeth showing, blooded and sharp. Then a green light pulsed beneath her hands and the stone-armrests were blown to bits, debris scattering across the floor. "I will not be undone by a _childling_ , ignorant of the power she's meddling with..."

Her hands tightened on the ruins of the armrests, knuckles white with the strain and green vanes creeping over her hands while blood poured from her lips. "I will not be undone by a brat and dog... They won't win. Father may be dead, but I remain. Ilosovic perished, but Shane survived.

Nogahr and the Jabberwocky are dead, but I can still summon the Duroccha... Underland will burn. Salazan Grum will crumble as it should have. Witzend shall be felled and stay as such. And Marmoreal will shatter like the porcelain perfect face of my fearful little cousin.

Blood shall rain from the skies and death will feast..." She closed her eyes or a moment, a grin slowly spreading across her face as the green vanes slowly retreated from sight. She started to chuckle, her voice growing ominous as though feeding off her bloodlust.

The words fell from her bloodied lips in a whisper spun to resemble a lullaby, but all they left in their wake was the cold promise of doom. "And she'll be the one that brought it all about." Then she cackled, long, openly and with wild abandon. "I'll kill them all!"

* * *

 _Where are you?_

Mirana's been wondering the same thing for the last five dungeon corridors and she still had no answer, but then just as they turned a corner, she felt a chill run down her spine. She could feel herself and her magic recoiling from whatever it is that had brought about the sudden goosebumps on her skin.

Elena must have finally noticed the absence of the Vorpal Sword and made her wrath known, because Mirana had only ever felt such dark magic from one person and that had been her cousin. The White Queen curled her hand around the hilt of the aforementioned sword with a bit more force.

The Vorpal Sword is the only weapon in all of Underland that can match Elena's powers and though it had initially been forged for Mirana, only Underland's Champion can wield the blade against its mightiest foes. And suddenly Absolem's words vibrated through Mirana's mind like a lightning strike in the dead of night.

" _...a queen must fall, for a warrior to rise..."_

By Marmoreal's grace she hopes that doesn't mean what she thinks it does. "Is that it?" Helen's voice startled her out of her thoughts and Mirana refocused on their surroundings. They'd made it to the last hall.

"Aye. That there be what the ol' Blud Witch calls the Red Wroom. With luck, Alice won't be inside."

* * *

 **Okay, Elena has officially lost it and I'd be lying if I said I had planned it as such. I have absolutely no idea what's going on with her. She's been writing herself for the past few chapters and honestly, this isn't how I pictured her. Seriously, she'd been plotting for over twenty years and Alice comes along and suddenly her gears are sent flying? Nuh-uh, that's not gonna work. If anyone has a bit of advice for me on how to restore some semblance of authentic-ness to my villain it would be much appreciated. Seriously, she's dying over here in my hands.**

– **L.L**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

 **}-{**

 _ **The Vorpal Sword is the only weapon in all of Underland that can match Elena's powers and though it had initially been forged for Mirana, only Underland's Champion can wield the blade against its mightiest foes.**_

 _ **And suddenly Absolem's words vibrated through Mirana's mind like a lightning strike in the dead of night: "...a queen must fall, for a warrior to rise..." By Marmoreal's grace she hopes that doesn't mean what she thinks it does.**_

" _ **Is that it?" Helen's voice startled her out of her thoughts and Mirana refocused on their surroundings.**_

 _ **They'd made it to the last hall.**_

" _ **Aye. That there be what the ol' Blud Witch calls the Red Wroom. With luck, Alice won't be inside."**_

 **}-{**

Screee-hch...! Screee-hch...!

The scraping of metal on metal vibrated throughout the room, cutting off all of a sudden with an almost-rasp only to return to high-pitched scraping. It made her ears hurt and reminded Alice of the Red Queen's Dub-Dub Bird. Despite that, she didn't make a squeek, not wanting to draw Baldy's attention.

Chop! Thunk. Chop! Thunk. Chop-chop-chop! Thu-unk. Chop! Thunk. Chop! Thunk.

The half-blind crone kept one eye on them while chopping away at some poor chicken's remains with an axe. Alice deduced that it was for intimidation purposes, but she couldn't be certain.

Screee-hch...! Scree-hch...!

Schreek!

The sound had suddenly been cut even shorter and she jumped momentarily in surprise, not having expected the drop in rhythm. She turned over to the Gorilla to see that his hand had slipped and that he was looking at the door, sword still dull despite his past-hour effort.

It was a bit amusing actually.

Apparently not finding whatever it is that had drawn his attention, the brute returned to attempting to sharpen his sword.

Screee-hch...! Screee-hch...!

Schreeek!

His hand had slipped again. And this time Alice caught sight of grey wisps vanishing from beneath the Gorilla's arm. It couldn't be... Could it? "What the..." Shrugging, he returned to work, huddled a bit steeper this time.

Screee-hch...! Screee-hch...! Screee-hch...!

Schreeek! Clank!

Chop. Thu-UNK!

"Collin, what the bloody hell are you doing over there?" Baldy's chopping stopped and she turned fully to her colleague, irritation clear on her mutilated features. "Sorry. My hand keeps slippin'." Picking up the sword that he had dropped, the Gorilla examined it, frowning deeply.

But Alice wasn't paying any attention to that. No. Her focus was on the keys that were being slipped off the hook at Baldy's waist by the very same grey vapour she'd seen over by the Gorilla. Almost... "Ye better not be breaking that one too, you mindless brute!" Baldy had jumped up, causing the grey vapour to vanish and the keys to jingle.

The sound immediately caught Baldy's attention. "Who's there?!" Knife in hand, the mutilated woman glared at everyone around her. The Grey vapour was reappearing behind her and Alice's breath caught when Collin looked up, squinting at something nearby the vapour.

Quickly thinking up a distraction, Alice jumped in front of the Gorilla's field of vision, screaming at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone turned to her and she pretended to scramble up onto the table, pointing furiously with her shackled hands. "Rat! There's a rat! AHHHHHHHH!"

Baldy grimaced, trying to cover her ears with her one hand while Gorilla shrieked in a high-pitched voice, ducking behind Alice. "Rat?! Where?!" Alice almost stopped her shrieking to stare at the brute, completely caught off-guard, but she kept her focus on her self-assigned task and continued her screaming for all her lungs were worth.

She caught her father sending her and odd look and she discretely motioned over to Baldy – where the keys were being lifted off of the hook by a subtle grey vapour. Charles caught on and nodded, joining her in her tirade. "Over there! I saw it go under the table!"

"What?!" Gorilla seemed almost panicked and leapt across the room, picking up one of the other prisoners and using them as a human shield against the non-existent rat. "Oh it just crawled beneath that pile of skulls!" Charles said pointing to a dark corner close to where Baldy was standing while Alice continued to shriek.

She idly noted that if this were London, all the ladies might just have jumped onto a table together while _she_ would have been the only sane one left. It was rather ironic then that she would now be screaming her lungs out, considering she'd slain the Jabberwocky, outran Time and spent most of her time in Overland on a boat in the middle of the unforgiving see, out-sailing bloodthirsty pirates.

Despite how ridiculous she felt, she knew the distraction was necessary – and she just happened to be the one whom had noticed the Cheshire first. Had it been her father, he would have likely needed to come up with something as well, granted his chosen distraction might not have been this loud...

"Enough of this foolishness!" Baldy cried out, pushing Charles to his knees in her venture to get to Alice. Underland's Champion barely had time to register the movement before she was cut off mid-scream when she was pulled off of the table by her hair, the mutilated woman's rancid breath tickling her cheek.

"Wh-what about the rat?" The Gorilla asked from behind his human shield, voice shaking with the undertone of his obvious fear. "There is no rat, you moron! They made it up!" He blinked, unable to comprehend her words. "No rat?" The glare Baldy send him could have caused flesh to peel from bone.

And apparently, it was also enough to snap the giant out of his deliria. "No rat!" He screamed furiously, throwing the poor prisoner to the side like a half-sack of potatoes, nostrils flaring with rage and muscles bulging with his fury. "I rip apart filthy mutts and liars!"

His bellows could likely be heard across the whole of the dungeon and though both Charles and Alice were faced with ringing in their ears, neither seemed particularly concerned about the fact that the Gorilla had returned to his bloodthirsty state. "Well, I think we made him angry again." Charles noted unnecessarily.

"You don't say." Alice deadpanned from her place in Baldy's one armed grip around her throat. Spotting the fallen blade that Collin had been sharpening before, Charles dove forward and caught it between the chains of his cuffs just as the Gorilla lunged for him, spittle flying from his open mouth and fists slamming down on either side of Charles' head.

"Ugh, someone needs a breath-repellent." Swinging the blade at the large brute whom effortlessly caught it between his teeth, Charles managed to distract him long enough to roll out from underneath him and dive for the axe Baldy had been using to chop the chicken.

Baldy herself was caught in a particularly tricky situation. She only had one arm and that one arm was currently occupied with strangling her prisoner. If she were to reach for a weapon or try to stop the older Champion, she would have to let go of The Alice which would result in her mistress being displeased.

In the end it was her indecision that gave Alice the opening she required to escape. And while she was busy wrenching free of the furiously shrieking woman, Charles had managed to get a hold of the axe and knock down the table all in one swift movement.

The chicken remains were sent flying all over the Gorilla whom momentarily paused in shock at his vision being obscured. He wiped at his eyes just in time to block the blow Charles was about to deal him with the axe, hands now miraculously free of the cuffs that required a key to be removed.

"What!" Baldy shrieked, feeling for the keys that were no longer dangling on the hook by her waist. "Need some help, Love?" Chessur asked as he re-evaporated in front of Alice, keys dangling from his curled tail. "That would be lovely." Alice commented, pushing the mutilated woman down onto the floor.

While Alice struggled to keep the thrashing one armed woman pinned, Chessur was struggling to unlock her cuffs and Charles was facing off against the brutal Gorilla who just cut off the head of the axe he had been using. "O-oh boy." Staring at the splintered piece of wood, the elder Kingsleigh had just enough time to doge the fist that came flying at his face.

Having ducked, Collin's fist collided with the door just as it opened. With a yelp, one of Elena's guards were sent flying, falling into a crumbled mass of armour against the opposite wall. His companions stared at him with open mouths for a moment before hesitantly peeking into the room.

"Terribly sorry about that!" Came Charles' voice just as he ducked another blow from the Gorilla. He looked like a ferret to be honest, popping up and down and out of the way of flailing fists that scraped against walls and shattered wood and knocked helmets against one another with a vicious clang.

Just as the two guards that had peeked inside the room were about to join the fray, each fell to their knees with a loud CLANK-CLINK! As they sunk to the ground like lifeless puppets, the view was made clear to reveal Tarrant standing behind them, grinning menacingly.

"Mind'f 'e join ye?" Behind him, Mirana and Helen pushed to the front, the latter staring for a moment in shock at the chaos ensuing within. "Get them!" Baldy cried over to Collin, struggling against Alice with a snarling fury. The Gorilla turned in the direction of the newcomers, spotting the red headed Hatter first.

He snarled, eyes flashing red. "Hightopp." His fists clenched together and he stomped at the ground, appearing like a rampaging bull about to charge. Tarrant narrowed his eyes at the imposing figure, pulling a sheet of red fabric from out of his sleeve and fanning it out.

Not needing to be warned, Helen and Mirana quickly got out of the way by diving into the room, each heading in their own direction. Seeing an opportunity in the mayhem, a cry of "Chess!" rang through the room. "The keys!" Charles shouted over to the Cheshire who had to duck out of the way from a flying mace.

Having narrowly avoided the projectile that Baldy had thrown his way, the Cheshire flung the keys over to the man, evaporating just in time to avoid getting cut in half by the last remaining guardsman. Catching the keys, Charles rushed over to help the other prisoners, ducking every now and then himself.

Tarrant eyed the approaching giant carefully, looking prepared to lunge right back at the storming brute with his bellowing sheet of red fabric, but just as the giant was within inches of him, Tarrant leapt over his head, using the giant sheet as a blindfold to cover the brute's sight.

"Ride alon' wittle laddie!" He shouted with a grin from his place on top of the brute's neck. Collin bellowed in rage trying to tear the fabric away from the unrelenting Hatter to no avail. Without being able to see, he ran into near everything around him, overturning tables with dangerous weapons, running into walls and pillars and crushing the occasional skull underfoot while Tarrant laughed...

Helen in the meantime was taking care of the last guardsmen who happened to be chasing after a certain Monsieur Kingsleigh... "Take that you brute!" She announced with fervour hitting the guard hard over the head with a shield she had picked up from somewhere within the room.

This guard too fell to the ground in a clang, armour hitting the ground and causing a slosh in the bloodied water at their feet. "Thank you, that's quite the arm you have." Helen looked up at the man she'd just rescued and her eyes widened in shock, the shield falling out of her hands. "Charles?!"

Meanwhile, Alice was still struggling against the surprisingly strong woman whom had managed to pin her against one of the overturned tables only moments before. "Not so tough, are you sweetie?" Baldy hissed kneeing Alice in the side only to cry out all of a sudden when she was yanked back and away from the young woman.

Alice heaved slightly, turning around just in time to catch the glint of a sword cutting through flesh before Baldy fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Behind her stood the White Queen in what most definitely was not attire befitting a lady, sword in hand and eye narrowed dangerously at her felled opponent.

The expression quickly disappeared as she rushed over to Alice, helping her to stand. "Your vow..." Was all the startled girl could manage, looking between the queen and the familiar Vorpal Sword that was wielded by Underland's Champions. Mirana gave her a pained smile. "You're more important."

The moment was ruined when they had to duck out of the way only a moment later, their only warning being an accented: "Hee'yah!" Tarrant was shouting with laugher as he caused the giant brute to ram himself into the wall behind the two woman, the stone splitting in two from the impact.

He jumped off gracefully and ignored the brute that slumped down behind him with a near inaudible UMF! He bowed, eyes dancing with mischief. "Your highnesses."

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 16! Few, that was intense ... and surprisingly comical. Truly, I hadn't planned it that way, but I hope everyone enjoyed this little detour from all the anxiety and craziness that has been dominating the past few chapters.**

 **Suggestions are welcome, reviews are appreciated, follows are admired, favourites are loved and THANK YOU to everyone who are still following this story. You're all amazing!**

– **L.L.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

 _ **}-{**_

 _ **The expression quickly disappeared as she rushed over to Alice, helping her to stand. "Your vow..." Was all the startled girl could manage, looking between the queen and the familiar Vorpal Sword that was wielded by Underland's Champions. Mirana gave her a pained smile. "You're more important."**_

 _ **The moment was ruined when they had to duck out of the way only a moment later, their only warning being an accented: "Hee'yah!" Tarrant was shouting with laugher as he caused the giant brute to ram himself into the wall behind the two women, the stone splitting in two from the impact.**_

 _ **He jumped off gracefully and ignored the brute that slumped down behind him with a near inaudible 'UMF'! He bowed, eyes dancing with mischief. "Your highnesses."**_

 _ **}-{**_

"Charles..." Helen felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her – and not in a good way. "Helen?" The startled man questioned with slight hesitation, clearly not believing his eyes any more than she was believing hers. A crashing sound broke them from their trance and they turned to see Gorilla-man on the ground, the wall behind him cracked in half.

In front of him stood Tarrant in a mock bow and then their eyes fell on Alice and Mirana, and Charles nearly choked upon seeing the Vorpal Sword in the Queen's grasp. "As much as I enjoy this reunion, we must be off. Elena's on her way." Chessur announced, appearing before them all.

"Right." Mirana sighed, a grimace taking over her features as she lowered the blade. Another was strapped to her side. "How far away do you estimate Iracebeth and the army are?" "They recently crossed the border, so they should be keeping Elena's watch-dogs busy." The Cheshire informed – even his smile had faded.

"Then we don't have much time." Charles answered grimly. The Hatter's eyes widened upon recognizing him, but the White Queen refused to meet his gaze. Though it stung, he couldn't blame her; his presence had no doubt complicated things.

"We'll take the passage and rendezvous with my sister on the battlefield. Alice, you'll need this to defend yourself." The queen handed her the spare blade, scabbard and all. "You're going to fight?" The young woman asked softly, though it was clear to everyone that she already knew the answer.

Mirana's eyes darkened. "Elena won't stop until she has what she wants. The Crown. Revenge. My death. No matter how we proceed, the outcome is inevitable – at some point the two of us will have to face off against one another." "I think I preferred the Jabberwocky." Alice responded, her face a bit pale.

"Aye, though the Bludy Witch ain't as friendly as any Jabberwock. Nor as easy ta defeat." Tarrant answered in his thick accent, looking just as grim as everyone felt. "At least your sister is on our side." Helen offered weakly, her shock still evident – she was all but shaking from head to toe.

"Are we related to anyone who doesn't want us dead?" Alice asked with a hollow chuckle as she un-seethed the sword the queen had given her, testing its weight. Mirana smiled wryly. "You'd be surprised." "How are we getting to the passage? The others can barely walk, let alone fight."

Charles motioned to the Underlandians they had freed, each of them looking bone-white and skeletal. "I can go with them. I won't be any good to you in a true battle." Helen said immediately. "I'll go with her. I may not be able to hold my own as I used to, but I can still swing a sword." Charles assured, picking up one of the guards' fallen blades.

Mirana merely nodded, then turned to Chessur. "Accompany them, please. You're abilities will be needed – especially for the wounded." "Of course. Best of luck, Love." With that the Queen, Hatter and Champion raced out of the Red Room and down the halls.

* * *

"The Usurper leads the Witch's forces and they are making their way here as we speak." Shane spoke gruffly, bowed low before his mother's throne. Elena's eyes were sharp and cold as she stared down at him, her red gown seeming to burn away the stone of her throne.

"Stall them if you must, but do not allow them into the castle. Mirana and her pets will try to rejoin them in the confusion – she's already found her Champions, it's only a matter of time before she comes to realize the girl's powers. When that happens, they'll be stronger than us, so do not fail me."

"Yes, Mother." With a grimace Shane rose to his feet and fled from the throne room, calling guards and mercenaries to him at every turn. Elena laid back in her throne, her calm demeanor back in place. Then her green eyes flashed red and she all but purred into the silence. "Come to me, my dear..."

* * *

It was mostly silent as they crept through the tunnel, Chessur in the lead and a dozen Underlandians of poor health behind them. "So you've been here all this time..." Helen said softly, eyes locked in front of her and posture stiff as a board. Charles looked at her, unsure what this conversation held in store for him.

"When my ship got caught in that storm, Elena pulled me through to Underland. I've been her prisoner ever since." "Did you ever try to escape?" He nodded, though he doubted she had bothered looking in his direction long enough to see it. "More than once, but I never got past her.

It seemed as though she knew my every move before even I did." There was silence for a moment, then Helen spoke again. "Would you have stayed in Underland had you gotten away from her?" Charles sighed. "If I was certain that you all would have believed me dead by the time I managed to, then yes."

Helen felt hollow. She wasn't anguished or angered, no. She felt nothing. "Would you have returned to your queen?" Charles' heart suddenly felt very heavy, but he did not look away. "I do not know what I would have done." He admitted, hand running through his hair. It had gotten long during his capture.

"I'm not even certain that Mirana wishes for me to be alive in the present." If anything, it seemed that she was adamant to forget about him. It hurt – far more than he wanted to admit – but her rejection left him feeling void and lifeless. She hadn't even wanted to look at him.

"She loves you." Helen blurted out after a pause, cutting though Charles' thoughts and the emotions that they brought to the forefront. "What?" "She loves you." She repeated, finally looking at him. "She may not have said it aloud, but I know what a woman in love looks like. I don't fault her for it.

How can I? Neither of you had intended for things to be as they are. Neither had you intended to become Soul-bound. It is simply how Fate decreed things to be." "You're taking this far better than I thought you would." He said finally, his tone speaking of caution. Helen couldn't help but smile faintly.

"I have no doubt that you already received an earful from Alice." The Kingsleigh patriarch chuckled, "She has grown into quite the spitfire." "She takes after her parents." Charles sobered at her words. "Helen, I..." The blonde held up a hand, stopping him.

"I will not lie, the affair had hurt; it had upset me for the longest of time and I had wanted nothing more than to confront your mistress and chew her out in the most painful way possible. But then Alice brought me here to Underland and I _did_ meet her and all my previous plans for her fled in the face of reality.

I had only just met her, yet she was so similar to Alice that it felt as though I had known her for an entire lifetime. When I had been in London I had not wanted to think of her as anything but the villain, then I came here and I couldn't help but _want_ to understand. Meeting her had helped me find peace with everything."

"And now you have to look me in the eye, knowing the full story." Charles sighed, a grimace in his words. He can only imagine what that must feel like; finally being able to move on only to come face to face with the person that can never love you as you loved them...

"Your heart was never mine, Charles and as such our marriage simply wasn't meant to last. But you tried, and for that I am beyond grateful. I cannot blame you for finding love, and you both certainly deserve it after everything you've been through. After watching Alice grow all these years, I realized that I had forgiven you.

And after meeting Mirana, I suppose that in a way, I had also come to support it." He had never realized it, but now that Helen spoke those words aloud to him, Charles realized how much he had craved them. He had willingly given Mirana his heart, but he had known that it could never be.

But now Helen has forgiven him and has even given him her permission, something he had never dreamed of having and was beyond thankful for. But he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it wasn't too late. "I... Thank you. Truly. But I fear that nothing can be salvaged between Mirana and I. She won't even look at me."

"That is because she is ashamed. She knows what she feels, but like you, she is ashamed of how her love will affect those around you. I was your wife before she became your soul and as such she thinks herself a thief – no doubt more so because of Alice's initial anger at her.

She's just afraid because your presence means that she will eventually have to confront her feelings and confess them. And she is concerned by the consequences her confession will bring." "I can relate to that." He admitted with a half-hearted smile, surprised to feel some of the weight pressing down on him lightening.

There was silence for a while before Helen spoke again, her tone revealing she felt much more at ease now than she had in the beginning. "I hadn't thought it possible, but I too have managed to move on." Charles couldn't help the beaming smile that lit up his features.

"Oh? And who's the lucky man?" For a moment the woman seemed a bit flustered, her cheeks a faint pink, but she quickly pulled her courage back to the forefront. "A certain mister Arthur Garamond, perhaps you are familiar with him?" "The Keeper in Marmoreal?"

He was slightly surprised, but that did not dampen his happiness for her. "He's a good man and I am pleased to hear that he has lifted you so. I am very happy for you, Helen." This time her smile was as soft and affectionate as the day she had held Margaret in her arms for the first time. "Thank you, Charles."

The silence that fell over them was comfortable and one that brought with it the sense of peace. Yes, things may never be the same as they had once been, but both had come out of the storm better than when they had gone in and the change has brought with it healing.

Helen Kingsleigh and Charles Kingsleigh will never be able to look at one another the same again, but that will not dampen the bond they had managed to form. They simply hadn't meant to be, but that didn't mean that they did not still care for one another.

Their love for each other wasn't romantic, but their friendship had reinforced it to still make them seem like family to each other and that was something both were immensely grateful for. They had both come to Underland in need of answers, but both had found so much more.

* * *

"We're close. Best to be ready, highnesses." Tarrant warned as they neared the end of the corridor.

It had been several minutes beforehand that Mirana had warned her companions that she could sense her villainous cousin awaiting them in the throne room and neither the Hatter nor Alice had hesitated in announcing that they had no intention of leaving her to face off against the sorceress on her own.

It had been comforting for the White Queen, but nonetheless frustrating as it meant that both her childhood friend and her daughter would be put in harm's way _yet again_. But she knew that she would not succeed in trying to send them away. Heavens know that had the situation been in reverse, _she_ wouldn't have listened.

"The Black Knight likely called the guards to aid him in distracting the others." Alice commented upon seeing the empty halls. Had it not been for her mother's ability to sense the presence of others, Alice would have thought the castle to have been abandoned.

"She's trying to stop us from uniting all of our allies." Mirana agreed, the Vorpal Sword tightly held in hand. She could feel the magic inside the blade humming pleasantly in response to her, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel sickened by the idea of using it

"Well, who could have imagined that we'd be walking into a trap because we wanted to get back to ol' Bludy Big Head?" Tarrant chuckled and the women each cracked a small smile at the absurdity of the idea. "Six impossible things?" Alice asked lightly, un-seething her sword.

"Aye." The Mad Hatter agreed, green eyes bright. "Two: Finding out that I'm actually a princess." Alice teased smiling at her mother and Mirana gave her a slightly pained smile, continuing the chain. "Three: Breaking my Vow." The White Queen answered softly, earning sad smiles from her companions.

"Four: Riding on the back of ol' Gorilla boy." Tarrant responded, beaming. "Five: Being reunited with my father." Alice answered in turn before both turned to Mirana, awaiting her to finish the circle. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knuckles white around the Vorpal Sword which she held upright in her hands.

"Six: Defeating Elena."

When her eyes opened they were purple and swirling with the magic of Underland. The Throne Room doors burst inward and the three stood prepared for battle in its entrance, eyes locked onto the still form of the Sorceress who sat watching them from her throne.

* * *

 **Until Next Time -**

 **L.L.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

 _ **}-{**_

" _ **Four: Riding on the back of ol' Gorilla boy." Tarrant responded, beaming. "Five: Being reunited with my father." Alice answered in turn before both turned to Mirana, awaiting her to finish the circle. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knuckles white around the Vorpal Sword which she held upright in her hands.**_

" _ **Six: Defeating Elena."**_

 _ **When her eyes opened they were purple and swirling with the magic of Underland. The Throne Room doors burst inward and the three stood prepared for battle in its entrance, eyes locked onto the still form of the Sorceress who sat watching them from her throne.**_

 _ **}-{**_

Elena waved her hand almost lazily as she smirked at the three intruders standing in the door, her green eyes swirling as red as her bloodied dress. "Ah, Little Cousin. I was wondering when we'd get the chance to chat." She was lying back in her throne, seemingly unconcerned by the possible threat that had just marched in.

"Hol' ye tongue, ya bludy witch." Tarrant said sharply, eyes a blazing golden orange as he pointed his sword at bloodthirsty woman lacking in both conscious and moral code. "Aww, letting your pet do all the speaking for you, are we?" Elena flicked her fingers and the Hatter's sword was yanked out of his hands and sent flying across the room, skidding over the stone floor.

"You're one to talk. Wasn't it you that sent the Black Knight to slaughter Underlandians for your own pleasure?" Alice challenged with a fearsome snarl and for a moment Elena's eyes flashed dangerously, her hand coming up as though she were preparing to cast some sort of spell, but stopping at the last second.

"How brave, Champion... How very brave. And how utterly foolish." Rising slowly, the Sorceress made her way closer to them, eyes firmly locked on the two women and the blades in their hands. Without warning she raised her hand again and sent a fireball hurtling towards Alice, the heat of the approaching projectile heating up the whole room.

"Alice!" Tarrant warned, attempting to jump in front of the blonde to intercept the deadly spell, but before he had managed to move even an inch, the fireball impacted with an opposing force and the two spells exploded, embers raining down and scorching the ground.

"I do hope you're not so confident in your power as to believe you cannot be bested." Mirana responded in a voice void of all emotion and Alice felt a shiver run down her spine upon realizing she'd never heard the kind woman ever use such a bland and indifferent tone.

Elena narrowed her eyes, hands coming alight with fire she effortlessly summoned to her aid. "Do you truly think you can defeat me? _You_?" She splayed out her arms and two funnels of fire raced towards the group at frightening pace, but despite its speed, they were prepared.

Alice deflected the first funnel with her sword, grunting with effort as it tried to push her back, but Tarrant was by her side, steadying her and providing her with a little extra strength. Beside them, Mirana had cut the second funnel in half with a simple downward swing of the Vorpal Sword, a crescent of magic breaking through the embers as it rushed at Elena.

With a scowl, the Sorceress summoned forth a shield of ice at the last moment. When the spell hit the ice wall splintered away into un-being, but Elena was left unscathed. "Child's play." The Three Underlandians barely had any warning before the witch's next assault came tumbling their way.

Ducking low in an effort not to get an icicle pierced through his jugular, Tarrant was unable to properly defend himself against the second one that now came flying at his exposed chest, but luckily Alice had brushed up on her sword's play and managed to cut the shard in half before it could do him any harm.

Right after however, one cut across her hand causing her to drop her sword with a yelp and dive into the opposite direction to avoid being impaled. Mirana seemed to be fairing much better than her fellows because she was able to easily slash through the ice while sending back her own attack.

Laughing, Elena batted away the seemingly feeble beam with her bare hand, this time summoning flashing sparks of electricity to her fingers. "Really? A light spell? You insult me." Lighting crackled through the air like a nine-tailed whip as it lashed out at its wide-eyed prey.

Without thinking, Tarrant picked up Alice's fallen sword with a forward dive and came back up on his knees with the sword held in front of him ready to deflect the blow, but metal is a conductor of electricity and it was absorbed by the blade before it started to dance across his skin in fast, hot, tiny steps that left his wild hair burnt at the ends, his body spasming and smoke coming out of his nose and ears and gasping lips that had swiftly turned white from the shock.

"Hatter!" Alice could do little more than leap out of the way of her own electrical gift and found herself rolling on the floor into the direction of Tarrant's blade. "Stop this, Elena. This mad venture of yours will come to an end one way or another." Mirana warned from behind her own wall of ice, sharp spikes of lightning chipping away at its outward layer but failing to penetrate it.

"We shall see, my dear." With a smirk, the Sorceress summoned another bout of lightning, but this bolt was thick as her own forearm and intimidating enough to make even Mirana pause to swallow as she took in the approaching projectile. "Hey, hot head!"

Annoyed and startled, Elena looked over her shoulder at Alice only to have her eyes widen in shock at seeing the sword that was coming straight at her. Unable to end her spell fast enough to defend against the attack, the Sorceress could do little more than attempt to twist away to avoid as much damage as possible.

"Ahhh! You insolent brat!" With a seething hiss of pain caused by the sword cutting through her side, she lost focus and thus control of the lightning bolt she had been prepared to toss in the White Queen's direction. So instead of travelling through the air in biting hisses and sparks to demolish the ice wall, it was sprung from her hands in every odd direction, breaking up into many tiny yet deadly blasts.

It was all Alice, Mirana and Tarrant could do to avoid the rain of bolts as they abandoned their previous positions for safer ones, but the disarray of the release of the many cylindrical shards resulted in unpredictable assaults and soon the room started shaking as lightning crashed against stone and the roof threatened to tumble into itself.

"Watch it ye mongrel!" Tarrant shouted at the woman in an indignant voice as he was nearly blasted off his feet and had to perform a precarious dance of gravity and scale before he could find his footing again. "Someone needs to learn to hold their tongue!"

Elena growled in anger, swivelling her hands together quickly to form a massive ball of fire that she did not hesitate to sent in the Hatter's direction. Eyes widening, he fell to the ground and the fireball whizzed over his back, charring his jacket and leaving a burnt hole that revealed the shirt he wore underneath.

Without warning, Elena was forced to the ground a moment later, eyes flashing red and fire shooting into random directions from her flaming hands while Alice wrestled with her in a test of muscle. "Stupid girl!" With no amount of little effort, the furious Sorceress forced Alice off of her with a great heave reinforced by magic and a blazing anger.

"Alice!" Mirana called out to her daughter in fright, watching with growing horror as her body was flung right into the direction of the splintered blade poking out from between two stones in the floor, ready to strike against any and all. Abandoning restriction, the White Queen slowed movement in the room and released a multitude of spells in the few moments that she had bought herself.

A barrier of ice appeared before Tarrant, shielding him from a jet of fire while a thin sheet of frost crawled over the floor and climbed up Elena's arms, momentarily pinning her in place. And just before Alice plunged to her death on the splintered blade, it burst into dust that coated her body when she fell to the ground.

The slowing-spell fell apart in a startlingly sudden moment and the White Queen realized a split-second too late that she had missed the volley of electrical bolts that had been creeping up on her from the side and behind. "Enough of these foolish games!"

Elena broke free of the ice encasing her and with blazing eyes she released torrent upon torrent of fire as she came to a stand, the fire spreading out in funnelled circles around her, growing thicker and higher in height with each passing moment. Both Tarrant and Mirana had made it to Alice's side and were deflecting the fire as best they could; the Hatter with Alice's sword and Mirana with her magic.

Around them the throne room had starting shaking again, the walls cracking from the intensity of the heat as they started to burst open between stones, the roof crumbling more and more with every passing second. "We need to put an end to her spell before the room collapses!"

Mirana called out to her friend and daughter over the furious roar of the fire in a slightly laboured voice, her skin smothered by black ash and soot every here and there from where she had narrowly missed getting hit by the bolts that grazed a hair away from her flesh.

"What do you say we take this fight back to the Beginning?" Came the hauntingly calm voice that vibrated through the room and over the deafening roar of the flames with an eerie quality that sent not just shivers travelling up and down spines, but nightmares to invade dreams.

With a complicated gesture that was understood too late, Elena cast a spell that released a magical pulse throughout the room, knocking everyone back and forcing the flames out even further causing it to brush over everyone as they were flung backwards.

"Damn." Disorientated and in adrenaline-drowned-out pain, Alice slowly struggled back onto her feet while holding firmly onto Tarrant's shoulder for support. She winced from the uncomfortable warm stab that flowed over her and tried to look up through the swirling clouds of dust that hang heavy around them.

"Alice..." Tarrant's voice cracked slightly and as the Champion looked over to him – first noticing the rip across his opposite shoulder where the jacket was stained red with blood – she saw his pale face and haunted eyes transfixed somewhere within the thick smoke.

Worried, but sensing a strange urgency in his voice, Alice turned to stare off into the direction his gazed was locked on as though he had been anchored to it by an invisible force. She couldn't see anything and squinted in an attempt to get a better view, but still, she couldn't see past the heavy layer of dust.

With great effort she hauled herself completely onto her feet and forced her eyes to be clearer and to see into the thicket that was trying to obscure her vision. It was only then that she noticed there was light piercing into the throne room from behind her, casting her silhouette across the debris covered floor and over onto a large pile of beams and stone littering the centre of the room where the smoke was starting to settle.

As it cleared, Alice realized with a start what Tarrant had been trying to tell her as her heart sunk into her stomach and her throat constricted in a way she has rarely experienced. Gone was the dust and windows and the door that had been blown off its hinges and the wall that had exploded outwards behind them...

Gone was Elena's throne upon which she had so elegantly lazed on and gone was most of the ceiling that had roofed over the grand yet plain expense of the chamber... But most importantly, gone was any sign of the Sorceress and along with her, gone was any and all sign of the White Queen.

* * *

 _ **\- Lyrical-Light**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

 _ **}-{**_

 _ **As it cleared, Alice realized with a start what Tarrant had been trying to tell her as her heart sunk into her stomach and her throat constricted in a way she has rarely experienced. Gone was the dust and windows and the door that had been blown off its hinges and the wall that had exploded outwards behind them...**_

 _ **Gone was Elena's throne upon which she had so elegantly lazed on and gone was most of the ceiling that had roofed over the grand yet plain expense of the chamber... But most importantly, gone was any sign of the Sorceress and along with her, gone was any and all sign of the White Queen.**_

 _ **}-{**_

"Alice, dear, you need to try to calm down. We won't be getting anywhere in this manner." Helen attempted to soothe, watching as her stepdaughter paced to and fro. "How can I calm down? It's been three days and Mirana is still nowhere to be found!" "That's not entirely true. We know _where_ she is, we just can't get to her."

"Why thank you, Father, I had no idea." Alice replied sardonically, turning with a deadpanned look to face Charles. He raised his hands in a placating manner, "I understand your frustration, I want her back too, but lashing out isn't the way." "He's wight, Alice."

Iracebeth sighed, stirring her tea distractedly despite the fact it has long since gone cold. "Mirana is stwong, but I fear fow my sister as well. That does not mean however that jumping in head firs' is the answer. We need a concwete plan." "Then what do you suggest?" Alice sighed, finally giving up on her pacing to join the others at the table.

"The transportation spell was unstable, thus Elena had exerted a lot of power to cast it – so we know that she's not as powerful as she seems." Chessur piped up from his spot at the table, trying to keep the group hopeful despite his own reservations. "Her spells are mostly elemental based and used for destructive means," Charles added.

"So it would only make sense that creation is something she'd fumble with – something Mirana is an expert at." "Alright, but how does that help us?" "It means, Alice," Iracebeth began, "that Miwana created the barrier around Witzend." "Then how do we get through it?"

"There is only one way I can think of: with magic and the Vowpal Sword," The Red Queen answered, her expression deadly serious.

"Great, both things we don't have." Alice grimaced. "As long as Mirana has the sword, Elena won't be able to call on her true power. That means she's safe for the time being." Charles said as he ran a hand through his hair. It was shorter now, thanks to a cut courtesy of Tarrant, but it was going to take some getting used to.

"So the Sword is doubly off limits, how do we get magic then? You've all said before that the Mages aren't powerful enough." "No, but you might be." The response was so unexpected that Alice nearly fell out of her chair in surprise, "Pardon?" "Gwanted." Iracebeth smirked and Alice glared at her half-heartedly.

"But Alice doesn't have magic." Helen said with a slight frown, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Perhaps not in Overland, but it's always been there." Chessur assured, taking a quiet sip of his own newly brewed tea before continuing, "We just need to help her unlock it." "How...?" Alice asked slowly, eyebrow arched. "That's the pawt we're not cewtain about." The Red Queen said with a frustrated sigh.

* * *

"Any luck?" Alice asked softly when the sound of footsteps drew her attention away from the candle she had been instructed to try to light with magic. By her shoulder was Chessur, previously busy whispering words of encouragement. "Nay, the barrier be as stubborn as a Bandersnatch."

Tarrant grumbled as he crumbled up his cloak and threw it off to the side, too annoyed with their lack of progress in finding the White Queen to care about the clothe. "Well I think it's safe to say that I'm fairing no better. You all make using magic look so easy!"

The Hatter managed a weak chuckle as he joined the two by the table, pouring himself a modest cup of tea. "The queen complained just as much during her first few lessons." "She struggled to use magic?" Alice couldn't really see it. The woman seemed to conjure it so effortlessly – how is it that she'd struggled?

"Hard to believe, yes? It wouldn't listen to her, lashing out whenever it wanted and hiding away when she wanted to use it. Drove her tutors to sanity." "Well at least she knew she had magic, I haven't done anything even remotely magical for the past 22 years."

"Well what do ye call slaying the jabberwocky?" "Or being able to cross the clock to Time's realm?" "Or being able ta traverse Time's seas?" "Or hearing Mirana's voice from down in the dungeons even though you weren't in the same room?" "Alright-alright, I can see that you two believe very strongly in this matter."

Alice ran a hand through her hair – it was almost completely white at this point, but still retained a pale-ish yellow colour. "What am I going to do? Mirana could be in danger and I can't even light a stupid candle." She growled and motioned sharply to the unlit cylinder that seemed to mock her with its uncooperativeness.

"You know, I think you've both been so focused on finding the White Queen, you hadn't even noticed the tension you were causing for yourselves." Chessur said softly, motioning over to them with his tail. "I do believe it's high time you left the palace walls and spent some time together.

Go on a picnic perhaps, or catch horseflies or have a race and see whose faster. Find something to take your minds off the situation and enjoy yourselves for a change. I know that's what the queen would want." "Aye, Chess is right." Tarrant admitted with a soft sigh.

"But we need to find a way to help her," Alice argued. "And we will, just not like this." The Mad Hatter said firmly, but not unkindly as he stood up and held out his arm to the blonde. She smiled a small smile in exasperation. "Very well." Taking his arm, she allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Have fun!" Chessur called after them with a grin as he watched them walk away from the table and down the stairs and out of sight.

* * *

"A penny for your thoughts?" Startled out of daze, Charles turned to see Helen and gave her a soft smile before returning his attention back to the horizon. "I was just wondering after Mirana... I certainly wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but neither was I expecting her to completely ignore my presence.

I hadn't even gotten the chance to say hello." He said softly once his former wife stood by his side on the balcony, both gazing into the far distance. "I can understand her reaction – I was tempted to do much the same." Helen chuckled. "I'm relieved you didn't." He told her honestly.

"When we find her – and we _will_ find her – just give her time to adjust. She'd set out on a suicide mission to rescue Alice, she wasn't expecting to run into her lover whom she'd believed to be dead." "Thank you for your reassurances, but I'm not certain this will play out in any manner I had hoped for."

He tried smiling, but it was small and didn't reach his eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "I meant what I said back in the Outlands, Charles. I know you love each other and I want you both to be happy, so once we've overcome this new obstacle, the four of us are going to sit down and talk this out like a real family.

You, me, Mirana and Alice. We'll work through the challenges. Together." She smiled at him and then with one final squeeze allowed her hand to drop from his shoulder and then turned back inside, wishing to return to Arthur so that they could finish their study of potential magical-triggers.

Charles listened to her leaving, her words echoing in his mind even long after he could no longer hear the click of her heals. He could not tear his sight away from Witzend, the barrier around it blazing brightly in the moon's light. He found himself wondering once again if Mirana was alright.

He knew Elena's power and the lengths to which she would go to accomplish her goals, first hand. He had spent so many years trying to escape and return home – wherever that is now – and living with the guilt of how he had hurt Helen that he'd never stopped to think that Mirana was likely feeling the same.

He knew from that morning they had talked in his guestroom that he loved the young queen and that he'd forever cherish their time together. Then when she'd shown up that one night with Alice in her arms, nearly begging him to take their daughter and keep her safe – allowing him to name her and be the father he hadn't known he was...

She'd given up a life with Alice to protect her and gave him the second daughter with whom he felt a kinship that he knew in his heart he did not share with his first. He and Alice were both too strong spirited for the world above, but in Underland their free spirit was their greatest strength.

Not for the first time, he contemplated what things might have been like had Alice grown up under Mirana's care instead of his. She would have been raised as the princess she was and wouldn't have had her spirit constantly opposed by the ways of the Above Land.

Mirana wouldn't have become withdrawn and she would have never needed to carry the pain of losing her only child. He likely would have never known about his daughter, though, and he had a feeling that no matter Alice's childhood home, Elena would have still dragged him through the portal.

Alice wouldn't even have known him, but Elena would have been able to put the pieces together and harmed Alice far sooner. The mere fact that things had taken this long to transpire gives Charles hope that all is not lost and that the sacrifice Mirana had made for their daughter so long ago had indeed kept her safe.

He felt his heart clench when Helen's words replayed in his mind once more, the word _family_ , loudest of all. Could they become a family? Mirana, Alice and him? Would the women even want that? He had no delusions that his past with the White Queen could be salvaged and that they could simply pick up where they left off, no.

But he did have hope that one day, Mirana will come to forgive him and at least accept him as a friend. As for Alice, well... She has grown into quite the young lady-knight. Charles wasn't blind to his daughter's obvious affections for the Hatter, anymore than he was oblivious to Tarrant's love for Alice.

The two would make a fine couple and should Tarrant ever come to him asking for Alice's hand, he would be only too happy to give his blessing. The thought of Alice marrying suddenly made him think of Margaret and again he felt his heart clench. How old was she now? Twenty-six?

The thought let his throat dry. She'd been ten last he'd seen her; so loving of literature and caring towards her little sister... Had that changed? Is she still the Margaret he remembers? Alice had mentioned she is married with two sons. How old are they? Who is the husband?

Why does Alice seem so distrusting of him? Is Margaret well-taken care of? Did she marry for love or alliance? Is she happy? Is she safe? He had so many thoughts and questions about his eldest and it made him speculate if he'd ever get the answers he had always hoped to know personally.

Helen would know, he suspects, but she had went back inside in search of Mr Garamond and though he ached to learn what had become of his Margaret, Charles did not wish to intrude on his former wife's time with her love – even when it is spent innocently.

He sighed and once again ran a hand through his hair; a habit he had picked up long ago and now couldn't recall where. "Perhaps I should seek out Absalom?" He pondered aloud, wondering how the old caterpillar was doing and if he still gave such irritatingly cryptic responses.

"Father...?" Turning, he saw Alice hesitantly approach. He smiled and motioned her over, taking note that she seemed far less tense than she had been that morning when they were discussing ways to help the White Queen. "Is everything alright, Alice?" "How can they be?" She retorted with a wry smile, leaning on the rail.

"I recently found out that everything I knew about myself was a lie and that the woman I thought was one of my closest friends is actually my mother and then my father whom I'd believed dead turned out to be alive and then my newly found mother goes missing in an attempt to save me."

"I can see why that would be troubling," He conceded. She laughed and he turned to her in surprise, but then she was smiling sadly and the tainted happiness brought sorrow to him. "It's not all bad, I suppose. Tarrant and I went trinket hunting in his house earlier – we found his old kite and decided to see if it would fly."

"Did it?" "Better than we expected. It pulled us both right up into a tree." She was grinning and he felt some of the tension leave him at the sight. At least Alice was happy. "I'm glad to hear you found a moment to enjoy yourself. It seems a rarity these days."

"What were you thinking about before I interrupted?" Alice asked suddenly and he turned to her, wondering how he should answer. He'd been thinking about a great many things, after all. "I wondered how Margaret was fairing. Last I'd seen her was when she still favoured ribbons and preferred books over jewellery."

He smiled faintly at the memory. "Now I realize I'm here in Underland with you and Helen and I can ask you any question I wish, but she's back in London – apparently married and taking care of children of her own." "Michael and Charles," Alice said after a moment and Charles blinked, staring in confusion.

"I beg your pardon?" She smiled up at him, elaborating. "Michael and Charles – Margaret's sons – the first named after Lowell's father and the second after you. Michael's turning four in a few months and Charles was born a while before Mother and I came here looking for Mirana.

Though I'm not exactly pleased with whom it was that proposed to Margaret or the way he treats their marriage and her, she seems content and at the end of the day it's her happiness that's important." "Hmmm," He hummed in agreement before an interesting thought occurred to him and he turned to her again.

"And has there been any suitors after your hand?" Alice laughed and seemed to scowl all at once and Charles wondered momentarily how she managed to do that all while seeming so casual and comfortable with the conversation. He'd thought that their reunion in Elena's dungeon would at least still have her angry with him.

"Suitors? I made sure to scare as many of them off as I could after Hamish proposed and I turned him down. There was one other that came close to proposing, but I made it clear that I had no interest in him. I wouldn't want to settle down in the Abovelands anyway.

Despite growing up in London, it never felt like home. Now I suppose I know why." "Hmmm, and what of Tarrant?" "I'm sorry?" Her confusion was betrayed by the blush spreading across her cheeks and Charles couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction. "I noticed you two seem rather smitten."

"What can I say, I like his madness." "So you're courting then?" "Well, no, but I certainly wouldn't decline if he asked." He smiled then, bright and clear. "As long as you're happy, then I shall support any path you wish to take." She hesitated for a moment before standing up and embracing him and he was quick to return it.

"Thank you, Father."

* * *

 **I apologize if this chapter wasn't what you'd hoped for, but I felt it was high time that something more natural [?] happened instead of the constant battles and my poor excuse for humour a few chapters back certainly felt more awkward than anything else.**

 **Please tell me what you thought of this chapter and what you feel about the story as I would really to know whether you're all still interested in it because I've recently lost quite a bit of my motivation – but don't worry, I'm determined not to abandon this or any of my stories, even if it physically pains me to continue them.**

 **PM, Review, Favourite, Follow, Ignore or Scoff; whatever you prefer.**

 **Until next chapter:**

– **L.L.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

 _ **}-{**_

" _ **What can I say, I like his madness." "So you're courting then?" "Well, no, but I certainly wouldn't decline if he asked." He smiled then, bright and clear. "As long as you're happy, then I shall support any path you wish to take." She hesitated for a moment before standing up and embracing him and he was quick to return it.**_

" _ **Thank you, Father."**_

 _ **}-{**_

A pounding heart and heavy breathing echoed in her ears, lungs dry as sandpaper, wrists aching from the weight of the Vorpal Sword and calves aflame from the effort it took to outrun Elena's attacks and the creatures she had summoned through use of the dark magic once created to corrupt even the kindest soul.

Mirana slid between the ruined remains of what had once been someone's home and used the Vorpal Blade to cut through the rotting beams supporting the frame. The hissed growls and whimpers of her shadowy pursuers followed the crashing and spluttering of dust and smoke while she used the haze to escape their sight.

Furious eyes glowed red in the dark and distorted shapes came into view as the dust settled and only a threadbare piece of scorched fabric clung to the splintered wall and broken window.

* * *

"Hmmgh... nmn-o..." Alice twisted in her sleep, the blankets tangling around her and stretching out with her legs causing them to slip away from her shoulders.

" _How dare you allow her to escape! She is one pathetic Underlandian and you are a battalion of shadow servants! Imbeciles! I should burn you all for this!" Elena shouted, green eyes stained orange with fiery rage. "I care not what you do to her, just bring me that sword!"_

"Hhmmth-hmnnn-hhm-no..." Alice turned onto her back, kicking at the blankets and cover.

" _Just a bit longer..." Mirana panted. She was on her knees, bowed before the Vorpal Sword in what looked to be a Tree-house. Her clothes were in tatters and her usually beautiful platinum hair was grey from exposure to dust, dirt and Elena's fire spells. She was littered with cuts everywhere._

"Mi-minm... Mm-Mirana..." Her face scrunched up and she twisted her arms, fighting against the cover that she had kicked away from her feet.

 _The White Queen's breathing was evening out as she rested her forehead against the hilt of the sword, eyes half-closed as she peered down at the glinting blade beneath._

"M-Mirana..." Alice struggled in her confines, the blankets sticking to her. She wrestled with them, twisting from side to side and in doing so, managed to kick the cover off the bed.

 _Mirana's head shot up, eyes wide and hands tight on the cross-guard as she looked around her – but there was nothing to be seen. "Who's there?" She brought the Vorpal Sword up in front of her, ready to defend herself._

"Mirana... hnm-no..." Alice fought harder against her bedding, but the unconscious attempt was futile as all it succeeded in doing was trapping her.

 _The queen looked into the Vorpal Blade where the reflective stones gave her clear vision of something beyond the sight of any other Underlandian._

"M-mm... M-Mother..." Alice moaned in her sleep, still fighting the restraints of her sheets in her unaware state as she attempted to aid the woman in her dreams against the invisible foe neither could see.

 _The Vorpal Sword came into focus, revealing in its shining surface Alice asleep in her bed, tossing and turning and calling out in her sleep, "M-mm... M-Mother..." Mirana's eyes widened and she breathed out in startled surprise, "Alice?"_

The blonde momentarily stopped her fighting, face scrunched up in confusion before she started reaching out, but her arms were caught in the blankets and she couldn't get far. "Hgghgmm... Mother... Ghaa... Mother..."

" _Alice." Mirana repeated, tears forming in her eyes. "My darling you're in a dream. You're using your magic to reach out to me, but you are harming yourself in the process. Please, you must awaken."_

"Mhaghy... Learn Magic... Ghaahaa... Need to ... save you." Alice started to fight again, but her skin was red with fever, hair wet with sweat and body weak from magical exertion.

" _Alice, you need to wake up. Wake up, my love." Mirana's eyes were wet with tears, but her voice was strong – firm yet comforting. "Wake up."_

With a start, brown eyes shot open and Alice bolted upright in bed only to end up falling off the side due to tangled blankets and overwhelming disorientation. The last thing she could recall before finding herself jolting back to consciousness was the Vorpal Sword shimmering before returning to its original state.

It took her a moment to gather her wits about her before she was stumbling through the tangled bedding. "I did it..." She whispered in disbelief after tumbling to the floor for the third time, gaze locked on the upside down image of her vanity-mirror. "I used magic... I spoke to Mirana."

* * *

"Are you certain?" Helen asked wide eyed the following morning after Alice had explained what had happened during the night and her success in reaching the White Queen. "Very. I saw her – and she could hear me." "I have only ever heard of such magic occurring in the royal family! This is a groundbreaking discovery!" Mr Garamond exclaimed.

"However, discoveries and the breaking of natural laws aside. What is important is the fact that we have found a way to contact the Queen." He continued, shoving aside his own curiosity in the face of the severity of their situation. "Twue as that may be, Alice has no contwol over hew abilities.

To attempt another Dweam Walking so soon after the fiwst would be very dangewous." Iracebeth cautioned. "As much as I loathe to admit it, I must agree with the Red Queen. This was a fortuitous accident, but Alice is not prepared for another venture of this magnitude." Tarrant broke in before the Tweedle-Twins could start their bickering.

"I too agree with our friends. Despite my relief at out queen's – relative – safety, it is too soon for Alice to venture back into the Dreamscape untrained in her magic as she is. Until an alternative can be found, communication with Mirana will have to wait, but at least now there is hope." Charles offered, rubbing at his temples.

"It is possible that the White Queen may attempt the spell herself now that she is aware of our Champion's abilities." Chessur pointed out thoughtfully, paw pressed to his chin. "Then what are we waiting for? Put Alice back to sleep!" Malliumkin cried out, waving her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Not so fast Mally, we don't even know if Mirana is able to do so at the moment. Ye heard what Alice said – there be shadow creatures hunting after her majesty." Tarrant interjected, swiping the teacup from the Door Mouse before she could throw it.

"We could always use the Queen's dream-powder. Agh! Monster!" Thackery said before catching sight of his reflection in one of the spoons, causing him to start throwing cupcakes at it. "Dream powder?" Alice questioned, brow furrowed. "One of the Queen's self-discovered and self-cultivated ingredients.

She used it to brew the potion that had taken her to Overland when you were a babe." Chessur explained. "Well then where can we find it?" "Alice," Charles put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, halting her questioning. "I want Mirana back too, but we don't know this dream-powder's attributes or possible side-effects.

It would be better to wait." "Your father has a point," Tarrant conceded and gave and almost sheepish smile when Alice turned to him with an irate expression. "Then what are your suggestions?" Alice demanded. There were shared looks around the table, before Bayard hesitantly broke the silence. "Well..."

* * *

"Fools! How is it that the royal brat is still alive? How can you all be so incompetent?!" Elena was furious and the flaring fire of the raging braziers were proof enough for any of her followers. "She is stronger than she looks," One hissed with malicious fury, red eyes sparking with hatred.

"And she has the Vorpal Sword." Another added, causing many hisses and angry snarls to erupt from the rest of Elena's deadly creations of dark magic. "Burns like daylight!" A third cried in a shrill voice, clutching at its shoulder. Elena narrowed her eyes, the fury still shining bright within.

"All the more reason to be rid of her as swiftly a possible. I want you to crush any hope of her survival – I want you to _break_ her, is that clear?" "Yesss, Mistress." They bowed low, despite many looking as though they'd rather rip off the sorceress' head than bow to her. "Good. Now listen closely..."

* * *

 **I'm really sorry for the short chapter, I forgot I had to write one up for today. As some of you may have noticed, I have set a date - the 27th of each month - as the scheduled day for updates to this story and I might continue to use the same date for following stories. Again, my apologies for the shortness.** **Thank you sincerely for your support and patience.**

– **Lyrical-Light**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 _ **}-{**_

" _ **And she has the Vorpal Sword." Another added, causing many hisses and angry snarls to erupt from the rest of Elena's deadly creations of dark magic. "Burns like daylight!" A third cried in a shrill voice, clutching at its shoulder. Elena narrowed her eyes, the fury still shining bright within.**_

" _ **All the more reason to be rid of her as swiftly a possible. I want you to crush any hope of her survival – I want you to break her, is that clear?" "Yesss, Mistress." They bowed low, despite many looking as though they'd rather rip off the sorceress' head than bow to her. "Good. Now listen closely..."**_

 _ **}-{**_

Seven days. It took _seven_ _days_ before they found the tome on how to train Alice in Dream Walking without harming herself. Ridiculous, no? Alice had even worked it out. One week = 7 days = 168 hours = 10080 minutes = 60480 seconds. And more than half of that time had been devoted to sleep.

And yes, maybe Alice had grown a little bored after the first passage of 76 hours. Slow as the progress might be, it was still something and far more than the Black Knight sitting in the deep dungeons had expected from them. Alice had contemplated speaking to him in an attempt to get answers, but she refrained each time out of worry that he might use his own magical abilities to overwhelm her.

It had been a while since they've heard of Absalom and all were concerned for the Compendium's keeper, but mostly their sights were set on rescuing Mirana and seeing the White Queen back on her throne. And as they worked tirelessly toward that end, Alice found herself contemplating the future.

Would they be able to defeat Elena? If so, what would happen after Mirana was back in Marmoreal? And if not, what would happen to Underland? Would it fall into ruin? Will it be torn apart by chaos? What if it was already too late? What if the White Queen had been slain?

The thought left Alice's blood cold, her heart tight with a hollow pain and made her just the slightest bit sick, although Iracebeth – Alice still couldn't fully believe that the Red Queen is not only on their side, but also her aunt and doing a damn good job of it – has been stepping up.

When it came to Alice's magical studies, she was the first to give advice and admonishments, switching and suggesting reading material, instructing Alice through basic steps and leaving the blonde wondering why she knew so much about magic, yet had none of her own.

It seemed to Alice that magic was quite common in Underland's royal lines, so why was the red head the only living regal figure without? It had crossed her mind that the easiest way to find that answer was to ask, but Alice had a feeling that despite the obvious improvement in their relationship, they weren't near close enough for such a question to be answered honestly.

And considering what had happened last time she had gone digging for answers, it was deemed safer to just leave the queen be for the time being. All those questions aside, Alice couldn't help but worry for her birthmother. Elena had been dangerous enough in the Outlands without the use of those creatures Alice had seen and now Mirana was trapped there with them.

How long will she be able to evade them? What will happen if Elena finds a way to break through the barrier she had constructed over Witzend? Or worse, what if Elena tricks Mirana into surrendering? The sorceress had already witnessed a magical display from Alice, it won't be long before she puts the pieces together.

Damn it, what if Elena had seen Alice as Alice had seen her in the dream? What if she already knows? "Alice?" The blonde jumped in surprise, turning around to see Tarrant standing behind her, a slight frown of concern creasing his brow. "Oh, Hatter. You startled me."

"Deep in thought?" He asked, taking the chair next to her. "I'm worried about the White Queen." She admitted, tapping her quill against the pot of ink unable to focus on her notes or the book in front of her. "Are ye now?" He hummed thoughtfully, holding his chin.

"Well, I always find the best distraction against nosy thoughts is a good cup a tea." He smiled, revealing a tea cup and saucer with his other hand. Alice couldn't help but smile. "Thank you." She took the cup graciously, but didn't drink, merely toyed with the spoon.

Silence stretched on and after a while Tarrant eyed her in mild amusement. "Tea was made for drinking, ye know." Alice glanced up at him, smiling wryly. "So I've been told, but when have I ever done things by the book?" He grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps that's your problem then."

"What do you mean?" He motioned to the book on the table, raising an eyebrow. "When _have_ you ever done anything by the book?" "I don't know what else to do." She sighed. "Use the Dream Powder. Or, if yer feeling really daring use a looking glass."

"What?" "You want to get to your mother, yes?" "I want to save her." "Then ye need to communicate with her. Chess knows how the powder works; he can guide you through the Dream World." "Then why didn't he say anything?" Alice asked exasperated.

Tarrant shrugged, a half-grin on his face that caused his green eyes to twinkle. "You weren't ready yet." "You just wanted me to find the book." She countered. "And you have." "Care to tell me why I had to find it?" "That's not a question for me to answer." He said with wink.

"You sound like Absalom awaiting me to have some sort of epiphany." She commented dryly. "Why, did one come to you?" The Mad Hatter asked surprised. "No." Alice laughed, closing the book. "I can't stand another minute in here. Come on, let's go for a walk." She suggested, standing up.

"Should I bring the tea?" He asked and Alice shook her head, linking her arm with his. "It will find us, I'm sure." She responded cheekily and Tarrant laughed. "Ye know, the Queen once enchanted the teacups to grow legs." Alice looked at him curiously, silently encouraging him to continue.

"She often worked late into the night and didn't want to bother any of the servants, so one day she cast a spell to allow the cups to walk themselves to the kitchen. The first time it happened, Thackeray was so scared he started throwing scones at it. That cup was never the same, poor thing is still traumatized."

Tarrant said shaking his head. "How did Mirana react to the news?" "Oh, she apologized profoundly and replaced everything Thackeray broke, though secretly I think she rather enjoyed giving him a light scare." "Why do you say that?" "Because she kept the enchanted cups." He smiled, eyes twinkling.

* * *

"Has anything new come up?" Alice asked upon entering the library where Helen, Bayard, the Tweedles and Arthur were hard at work, leaving no tome unturned. "Other than more references of the royal family's recorded and varying abilities? Afraid not, my dear."

Mr Garamond apologized, hefting a heavy stack of books onto his desk. Helen came up to Alice, whispering so that the others wouldn't hear. "I picked out a few that looked useful and send them off with Charles. He'll give them to you later." Alice nodded, smiling in gratitude.

"I did find a storybook!" One of the twins perked up, causing the other to hit him over the head. "Storybooks are not useful in this situation." "Contrary, the White Queen seemed to have had it with her for quite some time." "That doesn't mean it's useful!" The other argued.

"May I see it?" Alice interjected, causing the two to look at her wide eyed. "Of course." It took a while for them to track down the book once again and then another minute or so of them arguing about whom was going to give it to her before Alice finally managed to get a hold of it.

"Ah, I remember this one. It's little more than an ordinary fairytale, but it was one of the Queen's favourites until one day she just brought it back, claiming to not wanting to see it again." Arthur explained, readjusting his glasses as he peered over Alice's shoulder at the tome.

"That doesn't sound like Mirana." Bayard frowned, his face wrinkling. "It was very strange, but then I hadn't thought much of it as we were at war with the Red Queen." He shrugged, turning back to the books he'd gathered while Alice continued to stare at the storybook, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia.

"When exactly had that been?" "Hhm, well, I'd say about a little over twenty years ago. Maybe more. It's rather difficult to say." Helen took the book from Alice, examining it. "These are all children's tales. Bedtime-stories." "Yes, an odd selection for a queen, but there you have it."

Helen and Alice shared a glance. "Yes, very curious." "Now that you mention it, the White Queen had been acting rather peculiar." Bayard added thoughtfully. "Very distracted." One of the twins agreed. "No, worried." The other countered. "Absentminded." The first glared. "Concerned." The second retorted.

"Withdrawn." "Upset." "She wasn't upset!" "Oh yes she was!" It went on for several minutes, so much so in fact that everyone else just tuned them out. "You don't suppose..." Alice began, looking at her stepmother with a slightly crestfallen expression. Helen sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Mirana is an enigma, Alice. If you want to know more about her, you should ask those closest to her." "Yes, but what about when it comes to _this_?" Alice questioned with a slight sigh, motioning to the storybook to emphasise what she means. "Alice, is there something you know?" Bayard asked, having apparently overheard.

The two Kingsleigh women looked at one another and then to the distracted patrons of the library. The Tweedles were still arguing and Mr Garamond was buried nose deep into an old leather tome with a crease in his brow and narrowed eyes all combining to create a very focused expression.

"I'll keep them occupied." Helen offered. "Very well. Follow me," Alice said in resignation, motioning behind her to the door. Bayard gave them a confused look but did as instructed, trotting after the young Champion. It was only after they had made their way down several halls that Alice stopped and turned to the door leading into the Queen's garden.

"What are we doing here, Alice?" "There are some things not even I am aware of, so I thought it would be better if Chessur helped explain." They stopped under the Cheshire's favourite tree and as if on cue, he materialized in its branches, grinning down at them.

"Alice, Bayard! To what do I owe this pleasure?" "Bayard overheard me speaking to my stepmother about Mirana and considering we need all the help we can get, I think it's time he is told." "Ah, I see." Chess' smile faded a little, "And I do suppose you make a valid point."  
"Is there something you know about the White Queen, Chessur?" Bayard demanded clearly a little hurt about not having been informed of the supposed news about their beloved ruler. "It is a rather delicate matter, old friend. Something our queen did not wish to make bare as it was a rather difficult time for all Underland."

"You imply that her majesty kept something from us?" Bayard questioned a little perplexed. Why would she keep something of importance from her friends? Especially if it now somehow interferes with their mission to rescue her from that vile witch's clutches.

"It is her greatest secret. One that could not only affect all Underland, but also now in these desperate times decide her fate." The Cheshire explained seriously, all amusement wiped from his face. Even Alice felt more than a little morose as the truth of his statement set in.

"If it is important to the Queen, then I promise you have my full discretion." Alice and Chessur shared a quick glance, both studying the faithful bloodhound. Eventually Alice nodded. "Tell him Chess." "Very well." The Cheshire sighed, vanishing and then rematerializing on the ground in front of them.

"Make yourself comfortable, my friend. This tale is a long one."

* * *

"None of this makes any sense! There is no record of the Vorpal Blade ever bestowing powers onto their Champion, nor any evidence of a mage with the abilities Alice has displayed." Arthur grumbled in frustration, tired of running into dead ends when the White Queen's very life is on the line.

"We should not despair so soon. There are still many options we have yet to take into consideration." Helen attempted to console. "None of this stands to reason! None of- unless..." He trailed off, expression thoughtful. "Unless what?" Helen asked, brow furrowing.

"Could it be possible either your or Charles' family descends from the royal bloodline of Underland? No, no that's preposterous. No Underlandian Royal has ever chosen to venture to Overland..." He muttered to himself and Helen froze, realizing that if she didn't act now Alice's identity would be made known.

But she hesitated, wondering if Arthur wouldn't be able to lend his aid. Alice seemed to trust the bloodhound and Arthur must have known the White Queen as a young woman so perhaps... "Helen?" She shot back to attention when she noticed he was looking at her, concern in his eyes.

"You seem troubled, is everything all right?" She paused, contemplating how to respond, and then at last she sat down heavily in the nearest chair, rubbing her temples. "There is something I must tell you."

* * *

Mirana narrowly avoided getting tackled as she spun out of the way, weaving through the trees in an effort to confuse her pursuers. It had been a week since Alice had reached out to her and though the young queen had contemplated returning the favour, it seemed Elena was becoming impatient.

The longer Mirana managed to evade her, the angrier the sorceress became. The shadow creatures were becoming faster, stronger, smarter and above all deadlier with every new wave sent after her and it is all the Queen can do to just get through the day.

With the barrier in place, Mirana was brought peace knowing her daughter and their friends as well as the rest of Underland were out of Elena's reach, but it also brought about the unfortunate consequence of trapping Mirana within alongside her corrupted cousin.

There seemed to be no rest for her as each time she managed to get away, another threat loomed just beyond the next turn. Even now as she ran, her strength was waning and she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't be able to outrun her newest pursuers.

Hiding was futile as she would just be wasting energy in trying to remain unnoticed when she would eventually be discovered and the cycle would start again. Running merely prolonged the inevitable, but the White Queen knew she couldn't allow herself to be caught and she simply couldn't allow the Vorpal word to fall into Elena's hands either.

The blade was forged to cut down the wicked and protect Underland from that which was biding its time in the shadows, waiting for vulnerable prey to cross its path before striking in a way that left all Underland shaken. But now the sword was not in the hands of a champion and Mirana feared what that would mean.

If she were to be overwhelmed now... "Get her!" The growling and ferocious snarling brought the White Queen back to the present and also straight back into the unfortunate predicament that she was plagued with. Behind her were dozens upon dozens of Elena's minions ready to tear her apart – and she was swiftly running out of covering.

"Kill her!" Teeth snapped at her ankles and she could feel their rotting breath against her skin. They were quickly making up for lost ground, all but on top of her already and she is just about out of any useful tricks. Her magic requires time to replenish and her physical strength isn't very great.

There was no escaping these monsters this time, she knew, but she'd be damned if she didn't at least try. The moment they caught her she'd be dead and then the barrier would break and Elena would again be free to cause mayhem and destruction across all Underland.

Mirana regretted not having been able to fully reconcile with Alice and be the mother her daughter deserved. She felt guilt in having ruined Helen's marriage. She felt ashamed for not being the queen her people needed. And she was tortured over having destroyed her sister's life.

Mirana had started all of this and now she planned on finishing it. Leaves crunched underfoot as she ran, her breath short and burning as she desperately tried to stretch out the chase as long as she could. Around her Elena's conjured minions tried to pin her in and she only barely avoided being struck down.

From her left she caught sight of one of the creatures lunging in her direction and another getting ready to do the same on her right. She couldn't stop as that would mean she'd be tackled and killed, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to outrun the attack.

As such, the White Queen did the only thing she could think of, she swerved to one side, ducking underneath the claws and teeth of the leaping beasts and pushed the other off her and into its companion before making a sharp turn in an attempt to throw a few of them off her trail.

Her tactics however didn't work for long. They were too smart to be thrown off for long and just as she managed to dodge out from beneath the jaws of a particularly large opponent, another rammed into her from the side and she lost her balance, tumbling to the ground.

They advanced on her and she drew the Vorpal Blade, crouching on the ground in bloody and dirty clothes, her hair unkempt and almost brown from all it has been exposed to, her pale skin burning with fever and bruises and cuts and dirt, sweat dripping from her brow as she took them all in.

There are too many of them for her to fight off, but the time for running had come to an end. Now she just had to pray that she took out enough of them to remain alive.

* * *

Alice jolted awake in bed, eyes wide, skin slick with sweat, hair drenched and chest heaving as she took in everything she'd seen in her dream. She threw off the remainder of her covers, slipped, fell and rushed back onto her feet, clawing to get to the door.

She ripped it open and shot herself out without bothering to see if anyone might be standing on the other side and ended up ramming into her father who had his arm raised and hand poised in a manner that indicated he was preparing to knock on her door.

With a surprised yell they both ended up on the ground, heads knocking into each other with a great clash that left them both groaning in pain. It took them a while to break from their daze and get back their bearings, Charles being the first to manage to push through the pain.

"And where might you be off to in such a rush?" He asked, rubbing his head. Alice was breathing heavily, eyes closed from the intense impact with her father as she tried to rake through her mind what she'd been doing. "Oomf! I need to... oww... I have to..."

Then with a jolt she remembered and shot upright, tumbling and stumbling and saved only from another introduction with the ground due to her father's quick reflexes. "Whoa, easy there." She locked eyes with him, the fear sp plain in her expression that the confused smile fell from Charles' face.

"We're too late. They caught her. Elena has Mirana. That witch has my mother."

* * *

" **Tum-tum-tum.**

 **Now as I am such a vindictive person, I had planned on ending this chapter right here, but because someone had asked me to update sooner and I had been unable to grant that request, I have decided to add a little something extra as an apology and also because believe it or not, but this story is quickly drawing close to an end.**

 **Not in this chapter, but soon.**

 **I also advice caution with this next bit, it's not very nice.**

 **But enjoy your treat!" – L.L.**

* * *

 **(WARNING: VIOLENCE/TORTURE/ABUSE/ETC.)**

"Well, well, well. I do believe I will savour this moment for I'd only ever dreamt of seeing the great and almighty White Queen on her knees, defeated, outmatched and so very close to death." Elena chuckled, circling the chained woman in the middle of the room.

From the shadows her minions growled and hissed, but they were all ignored. Elena had waited for this moment for a very long time. "Ittle-wittle Mira... Doesn't this remind you of old times? Those good days when I would smother that hideous smile right off your face and Mummy and Daddy would never see?

I did so love our swimming lessons together. In fact, I'm rather surprised you had the courage to dive in after that annoying little Hightopp I tossed in as I do remember you being quite afraid of the water." Elena smirked, using her magic to pull on the chains. "What do you say we remake those lovely memories?"

Mirana didn't look up, didn't respond and didn't move, but her heart beat fast and she internally wept at the fate that awaited her. She should have known Elena would never pass up the chance to kill her herself. It had been her greatest desire since the day they had first met.

"You might think remaining silent will spare you strength, but I assure you, you shan't have any left after this." Before Mirana could think to prepare herself, the ground beneath her started to sink lower and lower, taking her down with it, water starting to bubble up from the sides.

"Oh, and just to give you a sporting chance, I'll loosen the chains a bit." Elena called down, waving her hand and causing Mirana's manacles to snap open halfway, the broken metal cutting into her wrists. The water was rising fast and the White Queen knew if she didn't find a way to break free than she _will_ drown.

A glance up towards her sadistic cousin just revealed and eagerly waiting sorceress, red lips painted with a bloodcurdling smile and green eyes bright with malice. "I wonder how long you can hold your breath these days..." She trailed off and Mirana's heart sank into her stomach, knots twisting it up and making her ill.

With another wave of the witch's hand, the water rose twice as fast and Mirana barely had enough time to take in any air before the water crashed over her head, filling the entire pit. Mirana pulled furiously at the chains, wincing from the deepening cuts to her wrists.

She would have cried out from the pain, but every breath was precious and she had none to waste. So she just kept pulling, hoping either the manacles might crack further and give her the opportunity to use her magic once again, or that the chains will snap and she can swim to the surface.

* * *

"Everyone ready?" Alice asked lacing up her boots. "Aye," "Yup," "We're ready to go," "All set," "Hmm." "Good. Does everyone remember the plan?" "Uh, mind going over it one more time, Alice?" One of the twins asked sheepishly, causing the Red Queen to roll her eyes.

"When we reach the barrier, we'll use the crystals Iracebeth gave us to get through and while she and I go to distract and confront Elena, Tarrant and Chessur will sneak in to find Mirana, while the rest of you take care of those shadow creatures using the flash-powder Mr Hightopp acquired for us."

"And if that doesn't work?" Mally asked, eyeing the pouches on the table warily. "Then we you we go to plan B." "I still think it would be better if I accompanied you." Charles sighed, handing Alice her sword. "Father," Alice began gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're needed here.

Besides, you're the only one besides myself and the Red Queen who will be able to use Marmoreal's Looking Glass to communicate with Mirana. If something goes wrong, we're going to need you to guide us all back." "Stay safe." Her father retorted, then smiled wryly as he added, "Heavens know your mother will unleash all her wrath should anything happen to you."

"Of course," They embraced tightly each silently fearing it might be the last. "We'll bring her back." Alice whispered and a moment later they broke apart. She smiled one last time at her father before mounting the Bandersnatch in front of Iracebeth, gathering her courage.

"All right everyone, let's bring the White Queen home!"

* * *

 **A-a-and done, really this time. Review, PM, Favourite, Follow, your choice. Thank you for reading.**

 **Until next time.**

– **L.L.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:**

 _ **So this is the last one and I truly do not know what to say. Thank you all for sharing in on this with me and thank you for supporting this story and its amateur author. You make every letter worth being written.**_

 **WARNINGS:** _This chapter contains scenes of torture, the mentioning and featuring of murder, character death and a mentally and emotionally scarred sorceress with what can be described as a disturbing sense of justice. If any of these are triggers to readers, I advise you to stop reading – also, I apologise and take responsibility for not properly warning readers of similar scenes in previous chapters._

* * *

 **Chapter 22:**

 _ **}-{**_

" _ **Stay safe." Her father retorted, then smiled wryly as he added, "Heavens know your mother will unleash all her wrath should anything happen to you." "Of course," They embraced tightly each silently fearing it might be the last. "We'll bring her back." Alice whispered and a moment later they broke apart.**_

 _ **She smiled one last time at her father before mounting the Bandersnatch in front of Iracebeth, gathering her courage.**_

" _ **All right everyone, let's bring the White Queen home!"**_

 _ **}-{**_

As it would happen getting in turned out to be the easy part, but getting caught without being torn limb from limb or completely obliterated by conjured bloodthirsty shadow animals, well _that_ proved to be more difficult than Alice had expected. It also gave her a new respect for her mother, though that train of thought left her slightly morose.

Nonetheless, Alice summarises she could have done without the manhandling that followed their capture. It was unnecessary. They were dragged to the ruins of a castle that Alice vaguely recalled was the one she'd visited via Chronoshpere in the past when trying to save the Hightopps.

It was far from as beautiful as it once had been and nothing but distant memories remained in the fractured stone and ivy covered walls. She also realized with a start when spotting the sombre eyes of the Red Queen looking over the ruins that this had been her mother's childhood home.

A place where her grandparents had raised their daughters and where two sisters once closer than any other pair were viciously separated by a single lie. It is here the sisters' feud began and here where Elena was discovered to be the witch she is. Here the story of two princesses ended and the tale of two rival queens began.

These ruins symbolize more than just a divided kingdom.

They symbolize a torn family and the broken bond of two sisters.

Alice and Iracebeth were ruthlessly marched into the crumbling castle, hands chained behind their backs and stripped of their noticeable weapons. The entrance hall was mostly empty, the blonde noted, looking at the cracked ceiling and open walls. The next room had a circular dais, but her eyes were drawn to a shine in the corner.

The Vorpal Sword was pierced into the slabs of a ruined wall, guarded by two snarling shadow beasts. Upon closer inspection, there were also tendrils of darkness curling around the blade, attacking and piercing at the shimmering stones – searching for weaknesses – and being deflected by an invisible barrier that made the blade glow.

But then her attention was returned to the dais when she heard a soft gasp fall from the Red Queen's lips and then a bone-deep chill ran down her spine at the sight that assaulted her suddenly frozen gaze. Her heart sank into a roiling pit in her stomach and frost crawled up her neck.

The White Queen was dripping wet and on her hands and knees, wrists torn open, blood gushing out beneath split cuffs spearing into her delicate porcelain skin and there was a chain wrapped around her neck being pulled and held in place by Elena as though the queen were a wild animal being forcibly tamed into submission.

Her clothes were nearly in tatters, her eyes red from either tears or exposure to an irritant, ashen hair tangled in wet locks and dried blood. There was a cut above her left eyebrow and a trail of blood caressing her bruised cheek where a stinging handprint had tattooed itself into her skin in bold reds and purples.

Where she was knelt was a thickening sheet of ice that seemed to be ever so slowly crawling up her arms and legs, locking her in place against her will. She was sitting more than standing and strain visibly echoed in her posture as her head was forced back by the chain cutting into her throat.

The position forced her to straighten her back and her shoulders were almost bear from the way the remainder of her clothing was sagging against her shivering and shaking frame, revealing more bruises. Some were made from weapons, some from the use of bare hands.

There were gashes and cuts obviously made from claws and a dry rust covered indents made from razor-like teeth. No doubt those were obtained while fighting off against the monsters the sorceress had conjured into existence and then commanded to find the pale beauty.

The anger and agony that boiled up in Alice's blood from seeing her mother in such a situation – and in such a position – was overwhelming in a way that would have forced her to her knees had the shadow covered beasts born of hatred not been holding her upright.

In that moment she wanted very much to fling herself forward with the force of a high tide during a storm and tackle Elena so hard that when the sorceress' head finally hits the ground it would split open with a resounding crack that would not only knock away her breath and leave her with a hairline fracture, but hopefully end her.

That was the extensiveness of her rage and realizing the bloodlust it brought up in her Alice internally recoiled, suddenly very aware of the burning eyes of the creatures around her and the taste of the infectious hatred hanging thick in the air like a large poisonous cloud.

"My-my-my, look who has come to visit us." Elena said in a cheerfully surprised manner, green eyes cold and hard despite her welcoming smile. "I would offer tea and cakes, but as you can see I'm a bit occupied in catching up with an old friend." Her smile was all teeth and not in the slightest bit comforting.

There was no sweetness in that smile, despite the sorceress' attempts at making it seem so. Her expression was entirely too predatory. "There is so much we haven't been able to do in the passing years since she became queen." She continued in an almost musical tone, pulling back on the chains and causing the woman to choke.

"Perhaps you would like to join us? Why, just moments ago we shared in a delightful game we used to enjoy as children. I will admit I was pleased to learn Mirana could still hold her breath as she used to as it had been I whom had helped perfect that little skill and I would have been terribly disappointed had my efforts gone to waste."

She switched the chains to one hand and brought the other down to the queen's face, running her nails over the gradually purpling skin of her jaw. "It would be ever so lovely for us all to spend time together as I'm afraid our dear queen has been feeling ever so lonely since we took our separate ways in the Outlands."

"Why are you doing this? She's done nothing to you!" Alice found herself shouting whilst struggling against her handlers, pulling and squirming and wiggling and jiggling and doing everything in her might that would make restraining her very difficult for their rather ill-balanced figures. "Nothing, you say?

Oh well that's only because you don't know the full story, dear. But please if we're going to get into that, I'd prefer everyone having proper placements." Elena smiled a truly frightening smile and brought up her hand from Mirana's face, swiping her fingers in a swaying motion that caused ice to curl around Alice and Iracebeth's legs.

The entrapping cold chilled them to the bone and Alice couldn't help but be reminded of being caught in the middle of a gale, but with the exception of rain and cutting wind there really wasn't much distraction provided from the cold creeping up her body.

The shadow beings released them carelessly with a forward shove that ended in an awkward half-fall as their legs had been stuck in place. "Now that we're all nice and comfortable, I can finally begin." The brunette continued, still playing her hand at the ever generous host.

"Long ago in a kingdom divided by war, two princes – black and red – rose up in defence of their separate territories. When locked in combat they discovered they were brothers and called for a cease fire on grounds of a newly found brotherhood and kinship.

However it wasn't long before their councils demanded for one of the king's sons to ascend and take the throne. The eldest was a seasoned warrior and a powerful magic user while the younger was a soldier with little training and more wit than either skill or magic.

It was agreed the best protector of the kingdom would be the brother whom was first in line, but the father of the younger prince's betrothed went behind the council's back and struck a deal with the priest who was to choose and crown the next king. In exchange for ensuring his daughter's future as queen, the wife of the eldest brother would have to die."

Her smile turned wry and scornful. "What they did not know was that the eldest prince had a daughter who witnessed the assassination of her mother and reported to her father. The brothers confronted one another and the eldest was deemed unfit to rule," she sent a cruel smile at Iracebeth whose lips thinned and eyes narrowed.

"So the youngest took the throne, married his betrothed and she became queen as promised while her brother became Champion of the Realm. When the treachery of the priest and the queen's father was uncovered, the elder brother was invited back to the kingdom and his daughter promised a fair chance at the throne."

She laughed then, long, cold and cruel. "Then the Red King and White Queen were blessed with two daughters. The first carried on the bloodline of king while the second carried the bloodline of the queen, forcing them to take pause for now there were not two but three possible heirs to the throne.

Puzzled, the disgraced prince and Red King consulted the Keeper of the Compendium whom told them that one with magic will become the next ruler-" Iracebeth frowned slightly at that bit of information, but Elena ploughed onward. "-and presented them with a crystal imbued with the powers of an Underlandian Guardian.

It was well known that neither of the Red King's daughters possessed magic and so the Black Prince and White Champion forged a blade together, placing the crystal in the hilt before they bestowed it upon the Red King and his family as a show of good will."

Elena's green eyes darkened drastically and she pulled tightly on the chain causing Mirana to cry out in muffled pain as her head was jerked back and her throat assaulted by the metal. "Stop it!" Alice shouted, fighting against the ice and the magic holding her in place, but her plea went ignored.

"And then the unexplainable happened when the blade was presented; King Oleron's youngest daughter touched the Vorpal Sword and its stones turned white." The Sorceress scowled, lunging forward with a hand aflame and pressing it against the White Queen's exposed shoulder.

"Miwana!" Mirana did not make a sound – not even to react to her sister's cry – no, she bit her tongue and closed her eyes against the burning pain. "Somehow, the Princess Mirana had come into magic and used it to turn an offering of good will into yet another thing claimed by the White bloodline.

Not wishing to cause another war, the Red King named Mirana the next Champion of Underland and told the Black Prince to forget about the Keeper's words, stating that they shall have a choosing between their eldest children. In exchange for this the Black Price demanded the return of the Vorpal Sword, but the Red King refused."

With her green eyes nearly black, Elena finally ceased the spell, but did not remove her hand. Instead she harshly uncoiled the chain from the queen's neck before magically sliding it across her body until it was holding her upper arms against her sides and forcing the air from her lungs.

With her hands frozen in front of her knees, Mirana was forced to bend forward to accommodate her new bindings that Elena only tightened the more she struggled against them. "I would have been queen of Underland had the sword not woken your dormant power and then shielded itself from my father's line.

I was the chosen and it and the throne would have been my birthright had your grandfather not made his little deal." The Sorceress pressed down hard on the queen's burnt shoulder, calling forth a startled and pained cry. "They could pretend all they desired, but the truth remained.

Iracebeth's fall had been a happy accident that allowed my father the chance to mould a pawn, but if there's one thing you two have in common it's your damn refusal to do and be as you were told!" The ice cracked around the White Queen as she was shoved as close to the ground as could be managed.

And with the explosion of the Sorceress' temper, the ice shattered and split into glassy shards that burst outward, cutting through pale flesh, drawing fresh flowing blood and a smothered scream from a bruised and strangled throat grated raw by the liquid fire Elena had forced her to consume.

And then the queen's singular scream was blocked out by the almost screech-like wails of her estranged cousin's shadow pets as flash powder was cast around the destroyed chamber in a blinding amount. A moment later the Sorceress' own yells could be heard somewhere within the thickening mist before her voice too became muffled and her magic came undone.

Iracebeth and Alice were freed from their frosty prisons, falling rather unceremoniously to the ground while Mirana was fully introduced to the tiles as the ice shards around her melted and evaporated, the chains previously used to throttle her having turned to dust and the cuffs opened with a resounding metallic _crack_.

As the smoke from the flash powder cleared, Mallymkun, Bayard and the Tweedles came into view along with the remains of the dark creatures summoned by Elena that had been turned into little more than black pools of goop staining the worn floor without her magic to sustain them. And behind Mirana, Chessur was grinning coldly.

His paws were curled around a set of cuffs similar to those previously adoring the White Queen's wrists, but instead of being worn by the ivory haired woman, they were locked around the tanned flesh of the Sorceress with the burning bloodlust in her emerald eyes and a sword to her throat courtesy of the Mad Hatter.

Alice was quick to scramble back to her feet and raced to her birth mother's side, concern clear along with its accompanying fear. "Mother," she whispered in a voice almost inaudible as she brought the woman up into a sitting position, the queen's lashes fluttering as fought against unconsciousness.

"Alice..." She answered back as best she could before her body sagged and her eyes fell fully closed. "We need to get her back to Marmoreal!" "She'll be dead before you managed to get there, especially if you plan on your dog keeping me hostage." Elena bit out with a half-laugh.

"A problem easily remedied," Tarrant threatened with the pressure of cold steel against the woman's throat. "Fow once I agree with the Hatter." Iracebeth announced with an expression colder than Alice had ever seen displayed on the woman's face.

She was slow in her approach, but the Vorpal Sword glinted dangerously in her hands. Apparently she'd freed it from its stony tomb while the others scrambled in their own directions. "Our father denied my sister her future to give us both a chance, yet in the end the Compendium will always be correct in its choice."

The Red Queen's voice was low and for the first time since Alice met her, not once did the woman have that child-like tone that many have come to distinguish her by. "Neither of us have the right to Underland's crown. And we have both done terrible things that will forever scar the land.

I may have turned out big headed because of Mirana's lie, but you turned out black hearted because you convinced yourself she was the bane to your existence." She was close enough to level the blade at the woman, and level she did. Tarrant and Chessur backed off, sensing the anger in the former queen of Underland.

"I am no innocent, but my sister suffered through many years because of you and I don't appreciate anyone outside myself touching so much as a single white hair on her puny head." "What are you going to do Iracebeth? You've tortured her as well. Ilosovic told me how you had him whip her.

So do share oh, blood-red Queen – why should I fear you?" Elena challenged, leaning forward with piercing eyes and a mocking smile. The Red Queen leaned in as well returning the challenge with an answer, but Iracebeth was grim, eyes narrowed and lips thinned, "Because only I get to hurt my baby sister."

And then there was the swift rise of an arm and the sound of air being cut and a flash of silver before white stones were stained red and Elena's body dropped to the floor, her shocked expression immortalized on her severed head that came to a stop by the Red Queen's feet, green eyes dimming in a similar fashion to those of the slain Jabberwocky.

"Off with your head." The red head whispered, lowering the famous sword so intimately entwined with her family's history.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Alice questioned two days later while poking her head around the door to the queen's chambers, tea tray in hand. "Better than yesterday, though I'm still fairly tired." The platinum blonde answered with a small, fatigued smile. "I brought some tea – Tarrant said it might help."

"Thank you, dear." Silence fell whilst Alice poured the tea distracting herself from speech by completing the simple task; _two cups, two sugar cubes, three sugar cubes, stir clockwise then counter clockwise, two cups, one each_. "Is everything alright, Alice?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, yes, I'm just thinking." "About?" The queen prodded taking the proffered cup. "It's just... I neither can be, nor desire to be angry with my mother anymore." She revealed with a sigh and Mirana's brow furrowed slightly. "I wasn't aware you and Helen were arguing.

In fact I thought your relationship had improved since coming to Underland together." "No, I meant-" Alice chuckled despite herself and shook her head, "I was referring to you." "Oh," surprise flashed across her features and she gently put the teacup aside.

"You consider me your mother?" Followed a moment after and Alice smiled wryly. "You've always been my mother, I've just been too stubborn to allow it." Mirana's smile was brighter this time as they enveloped one another, pulling away only when they heard the small knock from the doorway.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Charles apologized sheepishly causing his daughter to laugh and shake her head, however the queen's smile did falter slightly. "I realized we haven't had the chance to talk." He began, taking a seat next to Alice. "What is it you wish to discuss?" Mirana questioned in a somewhat faux chipper tone.

"Helen and I have already conversed and I was wondering," he paused, taking a deep breath before properly dividing his attention between Alice and her mother. "Whether it may be possible for the three of us to be a family..." Alice was smiling, but Mirana was shaking her head, drawing back.

"Charles-" "Helen gave me her blessing." He interrupted gently, eyes searching those of his soul bound, urging her to consider. "Please, Mirana. You know I would never be asking if I felt as though I was doing wrong by any of you." She studied him for a moment, her brown eyes betraying her inner conflict.

Then she turned to her daughter, the question clear in her gaze. "Alice?" "It's alright, Mother. I'll support any choice you decide upon." She answered in response, gently squeezing the queen's hand in reassurance. Mirana looked between her daughter and her bonded, uncertainty evident in her expression. "What about Helen?"

"She does not oppose, in fact I believe you will find that she's rather enamoured with a certain keeper of knowledge." Charles admitted with an amused smile that promised a lot of playful teasing and telling of tales between himself and his former wife in the days to come.

"And what of Margaret? She is your daughter as well." The queen pressed and the man's smile faltered. "She is a grown woman with a family of her own to see to and as much as I love her, I must allow her to live her life. It is what she has always desired and it would be cruel to take that away from her.

To reveal to her my livelihood would upset her, drag up questions of Underland and draw the attention of enemies yet defeated. Alice is more than capable of defending herself, but Margaret knows only what our world has taught her and she is happy with the way things are. Thus I believe it is time for us too, to move on."

"There will be questions..." Her resolve was failing and the others could see it. "Then we will face it together." Alice proclaimed, drawing a small smile from her mother. "What do think, my queen? Would you fancy one more adventure?" Charles questioned, holding out his hand.

Mirana looked between them, noting the hopeful expressions on both their faces and the hope in her own heart. She looked to her and her daughter's intertwined hands and to the comforting and protective hold Charles had around Alice's shoulder and then finally to the hand reaching for her.

Iracebeth will always be her sister no matter whether they are separated by feud or curse or realm or even Time. They have always been together and though their relationship is still strained, they will repair it. But Mirana had missed so many years with her daughter and even more so with her bonded.

They had separated because they did not feel right in living a life built on lies and the pain of others, but now fate was giving them a second chance with their daughter and providing Helen and Margaret with the chance at happiness as well. And the White Queen knows she'd be lying if she said she'd never longed for this.

She has longed for her family for many years, wondering after their health and imagining their daughter growing, always finding herself trapped on the other side of the looking glass. But it seems that that sheet of glass might have vanished at last. One more adventure...

She took a deep breath and took his hand, "Only with you both by my side." "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Charles laughed and Alice smirked at her mother, eyes sparkling. "I came here to find you, do you honestly think I'll be leaving now that I have?"

Mirana smiled, chuckling as she took in her family, "Together then." "Together," father and daughter agreed before the family embraced; all three of them together for the very first time. And none of them could be any happier because they could finally say they were home.

 **The End.**

* * *

 **Okay, that... Honestly I don't know what to say. Again, thank you to everyone that took the time and effort to read this story and support it, I really wouldn't have been able to get this far if it weren't for all of you. I hope this last chapter wrapped everything up properly and I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Our adventure together may be ending here, but that doesn't mean there won't be more waiting for us. So thank you, to each and every one of you for sticking it out as long as you have. I know it isn't always easy.**

 **Until our next adventure.**

 _– **Lyrical-Light**_


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